Buoyancy Reversal Research Articles

Flow Parameter Dependence of Laminar Plumes with Buoyancy Reversal from a Line Source

Laminar plumes that under goes buoyancy reversal have just been studied. It is true that fast penetration of the rising fluid will result to strong interaction between the rising plume and the ambient fluid which will lead to a quick halt based on the production of denser fluid that in turn halt their rise height. Thus, the present work have considered some sort of balance between viscous, inertia and buoyancy to have a reasonable plume’s rise height and effective mixing as we observe the behavior of these rising plumes while varying Reynolds number. At initial time interval, plumes were symmetric. There was a sideways flapping and bobbing motion after when the penetrating head became dense and detached. Two regimes of Re dependence fountains height over the range of Re ≤ 200 and the time τn taken to attain that height was recorded. Relations were also drawn that describes the rate of decrease in the fountain’s height from our empirically determined data set. Profiles of temperature and the various velocity components were also determined. Thus, with the quadratic dependence relation assumption, laminar fountains are feasible for Pr = 7 or 11.4, 5 ≤ Re ≤ 200 and 0.5 Fr. The fountains here are independent of Pr but dependent of both Re and Fr.

Laminar Plumes from a Line Source and Their Possible Flow Behaviours

Numerical investigation on laminar plumes that under goes buoyancy reversal had just been made, fixing both Re & Pr and varying Fr during the simulations. Water density was taken as a quadratic function of temperature. The result showed some side-to-side apping and bobbing motion after the core of the fountain were exposed together with head detachment behaviour. At the fountains core, profiles of vertical velocity component show that decrease in vertical velocity with height is not smoother even at higher Froude numbers as compared to the case in our previous study for (Re = 50). Empirically determined scalings laws for fountain height and time to attain maximum height were obtained. Initially rising plumes were symmetric and takes much longer time to attain a fully developed stage as Fr increases before sufficient dense fluid is produced to halt their rise. Generally, we can conclude that with the quadratic dependence relation assumption, Irrespective of the ow parameters used within the Reynolds number range 50 \(\le\) Re \(\le\) 100 and Prandtl number Pr = 7&11:4 the ow behaviour remains the same. Except for the behaviour in the profiles of vertical velocity that show some slight differences as compared to our earlier investigation, and the Froude number that represents the balance between inertia and buoyancy forces (responsible for the variation in the fountains heights).

What Controls Local Entrainment and Detrainment Rates in Simulated Shallow Convection?

Abstract The lack of consensus as to how entrainment and detrainment must be represented in convection parameterizations highlights the need for in-depth investigations of the processes driving lateral mixing in clouds. Direct estimates of entrainment and detrainment rates are here obtained from high-resolution simulations of shallow cumulus convection using a method that isolates the contributions from various competing processes. Moreover, cloud-averaged entrainment and detrainment rates are computed and correlated with bulk cloud and environmental properties. Detrainment is found to dominate in the middle of the cloud layer, and is locally driven by evaporation along cloud edges. Entrainment and detrainment events also occur due to changes in updraft velocity, but vertical acceleration and deceleration balance each other on average to yield no net entrainment/detrainment. In contrast, entrainment at cloud base is mostly related to condensation in dry updrafts surrounding the clouds, whereas detrainment at the top of the cloud layer is driven by buoyancy reversal. Cloud-averaged entrainment and detrainment rates both correlate preferentially with in-cloud vertical pressure gradients at all altitudes, but not with cloud-core buoyancy. No significant influence of environmental moisture on entrainment/detrainment was found, probably because of the very humid shell surrounding each cloud. Overall, these results suggest that entrainment and detrainment result from two concurring processes: a cloud-scale circulation driven by vertical pressure gradients, and small-scale, turbulent-like motions along the core edges generating mixing and, again, vertical pressure gradients.

Dynamics of the Cloud–Environment Interface and Turbulence Effects in an LES of a Growing Cumulus Congestus

AbstractA giga-large-eddy simulation of a cumulus congestus has been performed with a 5-m resolution to examine the fine-scale dynamics and mixing on its edges. At 5-m resolution, the dynamical production of subgrid turbulence clearly dominates over the thermal production, whereas the situation is reversed for resolved turbulence, the tipping point occurring near the 250-m scale. For cloud dynamics, the toroidal circulation already obtained in previous observational and numerical studies remains, with a strong signature on the resolved turbulent fluxes, the most important feature for the exchanges between the cloud and its environment even though numerous smaller eddies are also well resolved. The environment compensates for the upward mass flux through a large-scale compensating subsidence and the so-called subsiding shell composed of cloud-edge downdrafts, both having a significant contribution. A partition is used to characterize the dynamics, buoyancy, and turbulence of the inner and outer edges of the cloud, the cloud interior, and the far environment. On the edges of the cloud, downdrafts caused by the eddies and by evaporative cooling effects coexist with a buoyancy reversal while the cloud interior is mostly rising and positively buoyant. An alternative simulation in which evaporative cooling is suppressed indicates that this process reinforces the downdrafts near the edges of the cloud and causes a general decrease of the convective circulation. Evaporative cooling also has an impact on the buoyancy reversal and on the fate of the engulfed air inside the cloud.

Formation and maintenance of subsiding shells around non‐precipitating and precipitating cumulus clouds

AbstractA shell of subsiding air is generally known to develop around cumulus clouds and shield them from their environment. We seek here to improve our understanding of such shells by (a) revealing the detailed vertical and horizontal structure of shells surrounding both shallow and deeper clouds, and (b) identifying the mechanisms responsible for in‐shell subsidence generation and maintenance. To that end, a high‐resolution Cloud Resolving Model simulation of the shallow‐to‐deep convection transition over a tropical land surface is analysed with an emphasis on the cloud's near environment. Shells surrounding shallow and deep clouds are found to possess surprisingly similar characteristics. However important differences are observed near cloud top where the deepest clouds are associated with stronger subsidence and broader shells. In the convective outflow region, stronger in‐shell subsidence coincides with strong buoyancy reversal, but also with strong pressure gradients naturally generated by cloud‐top vortex dynamics. A more delicate balance between various processes takes place below, and in‐shell subsidence is only barely sustained as buoyancy reversal is largely compensated by pressure gradients. Finally, while evaporation is clearly the main source of buoyancy reversal everywhere around cloud edges, it is also shown that the downward transport of warmer air from aloft through the subsiding shells may compensate for evaporative cooling to slowly bring in‐shell buoyancy to a near‐neutral state. Overall, while it cannot be denied that evaporative cooling and buoyancy reversal play important roles in generating and sustaining in‐shell subsidence, the present results also emphasise that mechanical forcing at cloud top and downward transport within the shells should not be overlooked.

Solidification behaviors and parametric optimization of finned shell-tube ice storage units

The present paper reports on a numerical study of the ice storage process in finned shell-tube ice storage (STIS) units, with a focus on the special solidification behavior using water as the phase-change material (PCM). The proposed model is experimentally verified using an energy-discharging process in an ice storage unit. The effects of natural convection and buoyancy reversal on the solidification behavior are examined and investigated. Moreover, the Taguchi method is utilized to optimize the fin geometry of STIS units. The results indicate that the natural convection and buoyancy reversal are negatively correlated with the ice storage performance. An increase of the superheat factor leads to the enhancement of the buoyancy reversal intensity, which is not conducive to the acceleration of the solidification rate. In addition, the increases in fin height, fin width, and fin number are positively correlated with ice storage performance. It is demonstrated that the fin height is the dominant factor affecting the overall ice storage performance, and it is independent of the superheat factor. From the perspective of trade-off between ice storage rate and ice storage capacity, the optimal fin parameters for the STIS unit are fin height H = 40 mm, fin number N = 10, fin width Δ = 3 mm for engineering applications.

Sensitivity to Physical and Numerical Aspects of Large-Eddy Simulation of Stratocumulus

Abstract A series of numerical experiments where both physical and numerical model parameters are varied with respect to a reference setup is used to investigate the physics of a stratocumulus cloud and the performance of a large-eddy simulation (LES) model. The simulations show a delicate balance of physical processes with some sensitivities amplified by numerical model features. A strong feedback between cloud liquid, cloud-top radiative cooling, and turbulence leads to slow grid convergence of the turbulent fluxes. For a methodology that diagnoses cloud liquid from conserved variables, small errors in the total water amount result in large liquid water errors, which are amplified by the cloud-top radiative cooling leading to large variations of buoyancy forcing. In contrast, when the liquid–radiation–buoyancy feedback is not present in simulations without radiation, the turbulence structure of the boundary layer remains essentially identical for grid resolutions between 20 and 1.25 m. The present runs suggest that the buoyancy reversal instability significantly enhances the entrainment rate. Even though cloud-top radiative cooling is regarded as a key attribute of stratocumulus, the present simulations suggest that surface fluxes and surface shear significantly contribute to the total turbulent kinetic energy. Turbulence spectra exhibit inertial range scaling away from the confinement effects of the surface and inversion. Fine grid resolution LESs agree with observations, especially with respect to cloud liquid and vertical velocity variance, and exhibit grid convergence without any model tuning or ad hoc model choices.

Interaction between sea water, groundwater flow systems, the occurrence and direction of buoyancy forces under hydrostatic conditions [A], the direction of equivalent forces under hydrodynamic conditions [B] in groundwater flow systems, and the occurrence of buoyancy reversal

It is a part of normal scientific evolution that widely accepted scientific opinions are eventually supplanted by new insights. Naturally, the change of such basic scientific insights may ruffle the feathers of established proponents of previous held opinions. This situation has now arisen with respect to some of the basic assumptions of groundwater flow calculations. It presently also occurs in the basic physics of groundwater flow, namely the conflict between the application of velocity potentials and force potentials and, in addition, the application of pressure potential force directions within such calculations. Unfortunately, based on the physics involved, the necessary changes require a rewrite of some aspects of groundwater flow programs. It is clear that such changes will not be accepted without substantial resistance. However, these changes are, nevertheless, necessary for improving the knowledge and understanding of groundwater flow and its role in environmental sciences. The present shortcomings occur in two areas: (a) our understanding of the physics of variable density flow and (b) our choices on how to program codes for groundwater flow calculations. This paper deals with the field situation of variable density flow in Florida and in particular with the Cutler site. A physics-enhanced application of force potentials is dealt by Weyer (Environ Earth Sci, 2019) submitted to Environmental Earth Sciences. A selected collection of papers dealing with the physics of groundwater flow and the application of force potentials is contained in Weyer and Ellis (Subsurface investigation and simulation of fluid flow systems by means of force potentials. Springer Publications, New York, 2019).

Role of convective mixing and evaporative cooling in shallow convection

AbstractLarge‐eddy simulations of shallow convection are used to evaluate the role of convective mixing and evaporative cooling in the vertical transport of mass, heat, and moisture in nonprecipitating shallow convection. Evaporative cooling is found to increase mass flux and the magnitude of heat and moisture fluxes, comparing twin large‐eddy simulations with either suppressed or active evaporative cooling. Nonetheless, subsiding shells transport mass downward even when evaporative cooling is suppressed, emphasizing that evaporative cooling is not the primary cause of existence of subsiding shells and accompanied buoyancy reversal. Instead, vertical convective mixing is found to be the primary reason of buoyancy reversal. Evaporative cooling yet accelerates downdrafts (updrafts) in the shell (cloudy) regions as well as increases the cloud cover in the lower cloud layer. The cloudy regions are more humid, and the liquid water potential temperature is lower compared to the evaporative‐cooling‐suppressed experiment. The primary effect of evaporative cooling is thus to increase the updraft core anomalies, thus enhancing vertical turbulent fluxes.

Numerical simulations of a line plume impinging on a ceiling in cold fresh water

Laminar plumes from a line source of warm water at the base of a shallow, homogeneous body of cold water (below the temperature of maximum density) were simulated by a computational model. The plume water undergoes buoyancy reversal as it mixes with the cold ambient. If this occurs before the plume has reached the ceiling of the domain, the plume flaps from side to side. Otherwise, it spreads along the ceiling and then sinks, with a vortex enclosed between the rising plume and the sinking flow. Some of the dense, mixed water from the sinking flow is re-entrained into the rising plume, while the rest flows outwards along the floor. However, with high source temperatures, a sufficient volume of warm water eventually builds up to also form a positively buoyant gravity current along the ceiling.

The role of buoyancy reversal in turbidite deposition and submarine fan geometry

Abstract Although recent work has shown that changing interstitial fluid density within turbidity currents is a frequently overlooked factor affecting the texture and internal architecture of turbidites, little is known about its influence on submarine fan morphology. Here we present the results of three-dimensional flume experiments of turbidity currents that clearly demonstrate the role of low-density interstitial fluid, in combination with sediment concentration and basin gradient, on submarine fan geometry. The experiments show that turbidity currents with reversing buoyancy, and their resulting deposits, are narrower than those that remain ground hugging. Furthermore, wider deposits result from increases in sediment concentration and/or basin-floor gradient. We also propose that Taylor-Görtler vortices associated with currents traveling over a break in slope may lead to the deposition of wider lobes compared with those traveling over a constant gradient.

Liftoff of the 18 May 1980 surge of Mount St. Helens (USA) and the deposits left behind

The distance that ground-hugging pyroclastic density currents travel is limited partly by when they reverse buoyancy and liftoff into the atmosphere. It is not clear, however, what deposits are left behind by lofting flows. One current that was seen to liftoff was the surge erupted from Mount St. Helens on the morning of 18 May 1980. Before lofting, it had leveled a large area of thick forest (the blowdown zone). The outer edge of the devastated area—where trees were scorched but left standing (the scorched zone)—is where the surge is thought to have lifted off. Deposits in the outer parts of the blowdown and in the scorched zone were examined at 32 sites. The important finding is that the laterally moving surge traveled through the scorched zone, and hence, the change in tree damage does not mark the runout distance of the surge. Buoyancy reversal and liftoff are thus not preserved in the deposits where the surge lofted upwards. We propose, based on interpretation of eyewitness accounts and the impacts of the surge on trees and vehicles, that the surge consisted of a faster, dilute “overcurrent” and a slower “undercurrent,” where most of the mass (and heat) was retained. Reasonable estimates for flow density and velocity show that dynamic pressure of the surge (i.e., its ability to topple trees) peaked near the base of the overcurrent. We propose that where the overcurrent began to liftoff, the height of peak dynamic pressure rose above the trees and stopped toppling them. The slower undercurrent continued forward, however, scorching trees, but lacked the dynamic pressure needed to topple them. Grain-size variations argue that it slowed from ∼30 m s−1 when it entered the scorched zone to ∼3 m s−1 at the far end.

Evaporative and Radiative Cooling in POST Stratocumulus

Abstract Buoyancy reversal by evaporative cooling in entrainment holes has a minimal influence on stratocumulus (Sc) observed during the Physics of Stratocumulus Top (POST) aircraft field study held off the California coast in 2008. High-resolution temperature and microphysics measurements show only small differences for Sc with and without buoyancy reversal predicted by mixing fraction analysis that relates mixtures of cloudy air and free-atmospheric air to buoyancies of the mixtures. The reduction of LWC due to evaporation in the holes is a small percentage (average ~12%) of liquid water diluted in the Sc by entrainment from the entrainment interface layer (EIL) located above unbroken cloud top where most mixing, evaporation, and reduction of the large buoyancy jump between the cloud and free atmosphere occur. Entrainment is dominated by radiative cooling at cloud top.

A fast, calibrated model for pyroclastic density currents kinematics and hazard

Multiphase flow models represent valuable tools for the study of the complex, non-equilibrium dynamics of pyroclastic density currents. Particle sedimentation, flow stratification and rheological changes, depending on the flow regime, interaction with topographic obstacles, turbulent air entrainment, buoyancy reversal, and other complex features of pyroclastic currents can be simulated in two and three dimensions, by exploiting efficient numerical solvers and the improved computational capability of modern supercomputers. However, numerical simulations of polydisperse gas-particle mixtures are quite computationally expensive, so that their use in hazard assessment studies (where there is the need of evaluating the probability of hazardous actions over hundreds of possible scenarios) is still challenging. To this aim, a simplified integral (box) model can be used, under the appropriate hypotheses, to describe the kinematics of pyroclastic density currents over a flat topography, their scaling properties and their depositional features. In this work, multiphase flow simulations are used to evaluate integral model approximations, to calibrate its free parameters and to assess the influence of the input data on the results. Two-dimensional numerical simulations describe the generation and decoupling of a dense, basal layer (formed by progressive particle sedimentation) from the dilute transport system. In the Boussinesq regime (i.e., for solid mass fractions below about 0.1), the current Froude number (i.e., the ratio between the current inertia and buoyancy) does not strongly depend on initial conditions and it is consistent to that measured in laboratory experiments (i.e., between 1.05 and 1.2). For higher density ratios (solid mass fraction in the range 0.1–0.9) but still in a relatively dilute regime (particle volume fraction lower than 0.01), numerical simulations demonstrate that the box model is still applicable, but the Froude number depends on the reduced gravity. When the box model is opportunely calibrated with the numerical simulation results, the prediction of the flow runout is fairly accurate and the model predicts a rapid, non-linear decay of the flow kinetic energy (or dynamic pressure) with the distance from the source. The capability of PDC to overcome topographic obstacles can thus be analysed in the framework of the energy-conoid approach, in which the predicted kinetic energy of the flow front is compared with the potential energy jump associated with the elevated topography to derive a condition for blocking. Model results show that, although preferable to the energy-cone, the energy-conoid approach still has some serious limitations, mostly associated with the behaviour of the flow head. Implications of these outcomes are discussed in the context of probabilistic hazard assessment studies, in which a calibrated box model can be used as a fast pyroclastic density current emulator for Monte Carlo simulations.

Warm discharges in cold fresh water: 2. Numerical simulation of laminar line plumes

The behaviour of a discharge of warm water upwards into a homogeneous body of cold fresh water was investigated by means of a numerical model. The discharge has a parabolic velocity profile, with Reynolds number $$Re=50$$ , Prandtl number $$Pr=7$$ and Froude number varied over the range $$0.2 \le {\rm Fr} \le 2.5$$ . Water density is taken to be a quadratic function of temperature, so that an initially positively buoyant discharge will experience buoyancy reversal as it mixes with an ambient below the temperature of maximum density. The resulting plume has some similarities to a fountain resulting from injection of negatively buoyant fluid upward into a less dense ambient. The plume is initially symmetric, but then its head detaches as it approaches its maximum height. The detached head is denser than the fluid in the plume below it, and the interaction between the sinking head and the rising plume causes a sideways deflection; as this cycle is repeated, the plume displays side-to-side flapping motion and vertical bobbing. As Froude number is increased (i.e. buoyancy reduced) the growth of the plume becomes slower, but the plume eventually reaches a greater height. We obtain empirical power-law scalings for maximum height and time taken to reach that height as functions of Froude number; these scalings are simlar to those for fountains with a linear dependence of density on temperature in the very weak regime.

Highstand shelf fans: The role of buoyancy reversal in the deposition of a new type of shelf sand body

Although sea-level highstands are typically associated with sediment-starved continental shelves, high sea level does not hinder major river floods. Turbidity currents generated by plunging of sediment-laden rivers at the fluvial-marine interface, known as hyperpycnal flows, allow for cross-shelf transport of suspended sand beyond the coastline. Hyperpycnal flows in southern California have deposited six subaqueous fans on the shelf of the northern Santa Barbara Channel in the Holocene. Using eight cores and nine grab samples, we describe the deposits, age, and stratigraphic architecture of two fans in the Santa Barbara Channel. Fan lobes have up to 3 m of relief and are composed of multiple hyperpycnite beds ∼5 cm to 40 cm thick. Deposit architecture and geometry suggest the hyperpycnal flows became positively buoyant and lifted off the seabed, resulting in well-sorted, structureless, elongate sand lobes. Contrary to conventional sequence stratigraphic models, the presence of these features on the continental shelf suggests that active-margin shelves may locally develop high-quality reservoir sand bodies during sea-level highstands, and that such shelves need not be solely the site of sediment bypass. These deposits may provide a Quaternary analogue to many well-sorted sand bodies in the rock record that are interpreted as turbidites but lack typical Bouma-type features.

Non-equilibrium processes in ash-laden volcanic plumes: new insights from 3D multiphase flow simulations

In the framework of the IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth Interior) initiative on volcanic plume models intercomparison, we discuss three-dimensional numerical simulations performed with the multiphase flow model PDAC (Pyroclastic Dispersal Analysis Code). The model describes the dynamics of volcanic and atmospheric gases (in absence of wind) and two pyroclastic phases by adopting a non-equilibrium Eulerian–Eulerian formulation. Accordingly, gas and particulate phases are treated as interpenetrating fluids, interacting with each other through momentum (drag) and heat exchange. Numerical results describe the time-wise and spatial evolution of weak (mass eruption rate: 1.5×106 kg/s) and strong (mass eruption rate: 1.5×109 kg/s) plumes. The two tested cases display a remarkably different phenomenology, associated with the different roles of atmospheric stratification, compressibility and mechanism of buoyancy reversal, reflecting in a different structure of the plume, of the turbulent eddies and of the atmospheric circulation. This also brings about different rates of turbulent mixing and atmospheric air entrainment. The adopted multiphase flow model allows to quantify temperature and velocity differences between the gas and particles, including settling, preferential concentration by turbulence and thermal non-equilibrium, as a function of their Stokes number, i.e., the ratio between their kinetic equilibrium time and the characteristic large-eddy turnover time of the turbulent plume. As a result, the spatial and temporal distribution of coarse ash in the atmosphere significantly differs from that of the fine ash, leading to a modification of the plume shape. Finally, three-dimensional numerical results have been averaged in time and across horizontal slices in order to obtain a one-dimensional picture of the plume in a stationary regime. For the weak plume, the results are consistent with one-dimensional models, at least in the buoyant plume region, and allow to reckon a variable, effective entrainment coefficient with a mean value around 0.1 (consistently with laboratory experiments). For the strong plume, analysis of the results reveals that the two most critical assumptions of one-dimensional integral models are the self-similarity and the pressure equilibrium. In such a case, the plume appears to be controlled by the dynamics in the jet stage (below the buoyancy reversal) and by mesoscale vorticity associated with the development of the umbrella.

Stratocumulus radiative effect, multiple equilibria of the well‐mixed boundary layer and transition to shallow convection

The present work investigates the equilibrium of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the ocean using a large‐eddy simulation model, with different lower‐boundary sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs) and different initial conditions. For low SSTs, one of two equilibria is reached depending on the initial conditions. One equilibrium is characterized by a deep, stratocumulus‐capped ABL, while the other is a thin, cloud‐free ABL. Cloud radiative cooling at the top of the stratocumulus is crucial to the existence of the stratocumulus equilibrium. If the SST is increased, the stratocumulus equilibrium becomes deeper and the cloud radiative effect reaches a maximum before decreasing due to buoyancy reversal and decoupling. This decrease of cloud radiative effect with SST eventually suppresses the stratocumulus equilibrium at higher SSTs–all initial conditions then lead to the cloud‐free equilibrium. If the SST is increased further, the cloud‐free equilibrium becomes a deeper, shallow convective equilibrium with cumuli in the upper part of the ABL. This shallow convective ABL is deepened by the cloud radiative effect. Our results suggest that the transition from stratocumulus decks in the eastern subtropical oceans to the trade‐wind shallow convective regions is essentially a transition from one basin of attraction, which disappears, to another.

ASHEE-1.0: a compressible, equilibrium–Eulerian model for volcanic ash plumes

Abstract. A new fluid-dynamic model is developed to numerically simulate the non-equilibrium dynamics of polydisperse gas–particle mixtures forming volcanic plumes. Starting from the three-dimensional N-phase Eulerian transport equations for a mixture of gases and solid dispersed particles, we adopt an asymptotic expansion strategy to derive a compressible version of the first-order non-equilibrium model, valid for low-concentration regimes (particle volume fraction less than 10−3) and particle Stokes number (St – i.e., the ratio between relaxation time and flow characteristic time) not exceeding about 0.2. The new model, which is called ASHEE (ASH Equilibrium Eulerian), is significantly faster than the N-phase Eulerian model while retaining the capability to describe gas–particle non-equilibrium effects. Direct Numerical Simulation accurately reproduces the dynamics of isotropic, compressible turbulence in subsonic regimes. For gas–particle mixtures, it describes the main features of density fluctuations and the preferential concentration and clustering of particles by turbulence, thus verifying the model reliability and suitability for the numerical simulation of high-Reynolds number and high-temperature regimes in the presence of a dispersed phase. On the other hand, Large-Eddy Numerical Simulations of forced plumes are able to reproduce the averaged and instantaneous flow properties. In particular, the self-similar Gaussian radial profile and the development of large-scale coherent structures are reproduced, including the rate of turbulent mixing and entrainment of atmospheric air. Application to the Large-Eddy Simulation of the injection of the eruptive mixture in a stratified atmosphere describes some of the important features of turbulent volcanic plumes, including air entrainment, buoyancy reversal and maximum plume height. For very fine particles (St → 0, when non-equilibrium effects are negligible) the model reduces to the so-called dusty-gas model. However, coarse particles partially decouple from the gas phase within eddies (thus modifying the turbulent structure) and preferentially concentrate at the eddy periphery, eventually being lost from the plume margins due to the concurrent effect of gravity. By these mechanisms, gas–particle non-equilibrium processes are able to influence the large-scale behavior of volcanic plumes.

Dispersal and air entrainment in unconfined dilute pyroclastic density currents

Unconfined scaled laboratory experiments show that 3D structures control the behavior of dilute pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) during and after liftoff. Experiments comprise heated and ambient temperature 20 μm talc powder turbulently suspended in air to form density currents within an unobstructed 8.5 × 6 × 2.6-m chamber. Comparisons of Richardson, thermal Richardson, Froude, Stokes, and settling numbers and buoyant thermal to kinetic energy densities show good agreement between experimental currents and dilute PDCs. The experimental Reynolds numbers are lower than those of PDCs, but the experiments are fully turbulent; thus, the large-scale dynamics are similar between the two systems. High-frequency, simultaneous observation in three orthogonal planes shows that the currents behave very differently than previous 2D (i.e., confined) currents. Specifically, whereas ambient temperature currents show radial dispersal patterns, buoyancy reversal, and liftoff of heated currents focuses dispersal along narrow axes beneath the rising plumes. The aspect ratios, defined as the current length divided by a characteristic width, are typically 2.5–3.5 in heated currents and 1.5–2.5 in ambient temperature currents, reflecting differences in dispersal between the two types of currents. Mechanisms of air entrainment differ greatly between the two currents: entrainment occurs primarily behind the heads and through the upper margins of ambient temperature currents, but heated currents entrain air through their lateral margins. That lateral entrainment is much more efficient than the vertical entrainment, >0.5 compared to ∼0.1, where entrainment is defined as the ratio of cross-stream to streamwise velocity. These experiments suggest that generation of coignimbrite plumes should focus PDCs along narrow transport axes, resulting in elongate rather than radial deposits.