Mean Heat Flux Research Articles

Comparative study of turbulent round jet flows through direct numerical simulation at medium–high Reynolds numbers

This study examines a spatially evolving turbulent round jet at a Reynolds number of Re = 7000 based on the bulk velocity Ub and the orifice diameter D and a Prandtl number of Pr = 0.71 using direct numerical simulation (DNS). Statistical data are collected over 30 000D/Ub time units, including mean quantities, Reynolds stresses, heat fluxes, mixed moments, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy budgets, and probability density functions. Comparative analysis with a previous DNS at Re = 3500 (Nguyen and Oberlack, 2024a; 2024c) shows that the higher Reynolds number leads to a shift of the self-similarity to a greater distance from the orifice. A larger Reynolds number leads to higher magnitudes of different statistical moments, dissipation and production. In addition, a maximum visible in the near-field of the turbulence intensity components is smoothed at the larger Reynolds number. The probability density functions of the axial velocity and the passive scalar show Gaussian behavior on the centerline, but with larger standard deviations compared to the lower Reynolds number. The study highlights the significant impact of using a fully developed turbulent pipe flow profile as the inlet condition, which significantly reduces the size of the potential core by introducing initial turbulence intensities at the orifice.

Large-scale semi-organized rolls in a sheared convective turbulence: Mean-field simulations

Based on a mean-field theory of a non-rotating turbulent convection [T. Elperin et al., Phys. Rev. E 66, 066305, (2002)], we perform mean-field simulations (MFS) of sheared convection that takes into account an effect of modification of the turbulent heat flux by the non-uniform large-scale motions. This effect is caused by the production of additional essentially anisotropic velocity fluctuations generated by tangling of the mean-velocity gradients by small-scale turbulent motions due to the influence of the inertial forces during the lifetime of turbulent eddies. These anisotropic velocity fluctuations contribute to the turbulent heat flux. As the result of this effect, there is an excitation of large-scale convective-shear instability, which causes the formation of large-scale semi-organized structures in the form of rolls. The lifetimes and spatial scales of these structures are much larger compared to the turbulent scales. By means of MFS performed for stress-free and no-slip vertical boundary conditions, we determine the spatial and temporal characteristics of these structures. Our study demonstrates that the modification of the turbulent heat flux by non-uniform flows leads to a strong reduction of the critical effective Rayleigh number (based on the eddy viscosity and turbulent temperature diffusivity) required for the formation of the large-scale rolls. During the nonlinear stage of the convective-shear instability, there is a transition from a two-layer vertical structure with two rolls in the vertical direction before the system reaches steady-state to a one-layer vertical structure with one roll after the system reaches steady state. This effect is observed for all effective Rayleigh numbers. We find that inside the convective rolls, the spatial distribution of the mean potential temperature includes regions with a positive vertical gradient of the potential temperature caused by the mean heat flux of the convective rolls. This study might be useful for understanding the origin of large-scale rolls observed in atmospheric convective boundary layers, as well as in numerical simulations and laboratory experiments.

Heat transfer characteristics of horizontal flow boiling with uniform and non-uniform circumferential heat flux

This study assesses effects of the non-uniform circumferential heat flux on horizontal flow boiling of R141b in a stainless-steel tube at ambient system pressure with an inner diameter of 10.92 mm. The main motivation for this are application in Concentrated Solar Power using the Direct Steam Generation process inside horizontal absorber tubes. Experiments were conducted for two mass velocities (50 and 150 kg m−2s−1) and two mean heat fluxes (3.4 and 11.0 kW m−2), with three different heating conditions (uniform, top-concentrated, and bottom-concentrated). The differences in the Onset of Nucleate Boiling between uniform and bottom-concentrated heating are assessed, and the transient behavior of the wall temperatures is investigated. It is found that the heating condition significantly affects the mean heat transfer coefficient in the case of non-annular flow regimes but practically not in annular flow. The circumferential wall temperature gradient is with uniform heating highest for non-annular flow regimes. But with non-uniform heating the circumferential wall temperature gradient is highest for annular flow. The use of empirical correlations for the heat transfer coefficients are evaluated.

Coriolis darkening in late-type stars

Context. Modeling the surface brightness distribution of stars is of prime importance to interpret the large amount of available interferometric, spectropolarimetric, or photometric observations. Beyond stellar physics, this is also a prerequisite to characterize exoplanets or our Galaxy. Nevertheless, this remains quite challenging for cool stars as it requires one to model the magnetohydrodynamic turbulence that develops in their convective envelope. Aims. In Paper I (Raynaud, R., Rieutord, M., Petitdemange, L., Gastine, T., & Putigny, B. 2018, A&A, 609, A124), the effect of the Coriolis acceleration on the surface heat flux has been studied by means of hydrodynamic simulations. In this paper, we aim to investigate the additional effect of dynamo magnetic fields that can be generated in the thick convective envelopes of cool stars. We focus on an envelope thickness that is representative of either a ∼0.35 M⊙ M dwarf, a young red giant star or a pre-main sequence star. Methods. We performed a parametric study using numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations of anelastic convection in thick rotating spherical shells. The stratification in density ranges from a few tens to a few hundreds. The setup assumes a constant entropy jump between the inner and outer layers to force convection, with stress-free boundary conditions for the velocity field. The magnetic Prandtl number was systematically varied in order to vary the magnetic field intensity. For each model, we computed the azimuthally and temporally averaged surface distribution of the heat flux, and examined the leading-order effect of the magnetic field on the obtained latitudinal luminosity profile. Results. We identify three different regimes. Close to the onset of convection, while the first unstable modes tend to convey heat more efficiently near the equator, magnetic fields are shown to generally enhance the mean heat flux close to the polar regions (and the tangent cylinder). By progressively increasing the Rayleigh number, the development of a prograde equatorial jet was previously shown to make the equator darker when no magnetic field is taken into account. For moderate Rayleigh numbers, magnetic fields can instead inverse the mean pole-equator brightness contrast (which means going from a darker to a brighter equator when a dynamo sets in) and finally induce a similar regime to that found close to the onset of convection. For more turbulent models with larger Rayleigh numbers, magnetic fields alternatively tend to smooth out the brightness contrast. This general behavior is shown to be related to the quenching of the surface differential rotation by magnetic fields and remains valid regardless of the magnetic morphology. Conclusions. Mean global trends regarding the impact of rotation and magnetic fields on the surface brightness distribution of cool stars are theoretically depicted and need to be tested by future observations. This work opens the door to more detailed theoretical studies including the effect of nonaxisymmetric and time-variable surface features associated with magnetic activity.

Heat Transfer of Ca (NO3)2-KNO3 Molten Salt Mixtures for Austempering and Martempering Processes of Steels.

Molten salts are highly effective as a quenching medium for austempering and martempering processes, enabling precise control of cooling rates to achieve the desired microstructures and mechanical characteristics in steel components. One such promising molten salt is a multicomponent Ca (NO3)2-KNO3 molten salt. The current work explores the cooling severity of molten Ca (NO3)2-KNO3 mixtures, which are commonly used for such purposes. The said mixture, with varying concentrations and bath temperatures was used for quenching the Inconel probe with thermocouples. The temperature data extracted was used to determine the transient heat flux developed at the metal-quenchant interface. A set of critical points were assessed against the peak heat extraction rates. Additionally, the fluctuation of mean heat flux and surface temperature in relation to these crucial points were plotted, along with changes in composition and bath temperature of the quench media. The cooling intensity of these quench solutions, as measured by Inconel probes, correlated well with the average hardness values observed in steel probes. The level of homogeneity in heat transmission, as measured by the spatial variance of the normalized heat energy, decreased as the percentage of KNO3 in the quench medium increased.

Direct numerical simulations of compressible turbulent channel flows with asymmetric thermal walls

This paper extends the work of Tamano & Morinishi (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 548, 2006, pp. 361–373) by simulating supersonic turbulent channel flow with asymmetric thermal walls using a larger computational domain and a finer mesh. Direct numerical simulation is carried out for four cases with different thermal wall boundaries at the top wall at fixed $Ma=1.5$ , $Re=6000$ and $Pr=0.72$ , while the bottom wall is maintained at a constant temperature of $T_L$ equal to the reference temperature. These cases are referred to as the adiabatic case TAd, where the top wall is adiabatic; the pseudo-adiabatic case T32, where the top wall is isothermal with temperature $T_{w,t}=T_A$ ; the sub-adiabatic case T25, with $T_{w,t}=0.77T_A$ ; and the super-adiabatic case T40, with $T_{w,t}=1.24T_A$ . Here, $T_A=3.234$ is the mean temperature at the adiabatic wall in the TAd case. The objective of this study is to compare and contrast the TAd case with its corresponding T32 case, and to investigate the effect of the wall temperature difference between the two isothermal walls. Comparisons of the basic turbulent statistics, the heat transfer between the Favre-averaged mean-flow kinetic energy, the Favre-averaged turbulent kinetic energy and the Favre-averaged mean internal energy, as well as the wall heat transfer properties, indicate that the TAd case and its corresponding T32 case are generally equivalent. The only discernible difference is in the region very close to the top wall for the temperature-fluctuation-related quantities. The analysis reveals that the asymmetry of the thermal walls causes asymmetry in the flow and thermal fields. In addition, the transfer of the heat generated by the pressure dilatation and the viscous stress is facilitated by the turbulent heat flux term and the mean molecular heat flux term.

Coalescence-Induced Droplet Jumping for Electro-Thermal Sensing.

Jumping droplet condensation, whereby microdroplets (ca. 1-100 μm) coalescing on suitably designed superhydrophobic surfaces jump away from the surface, has recently been shown to have a 10× heat transfer enhancement compared to filmwise condensing surfaces. However, accurate measurements of the condensation heat flux remain a challenge due to the need for low supersaturations (<1.1) to avoid flooding. The low corresponding heat fluxes (<5 W/cm2) can result in temperature noise that exceeds the resolution of the measurement devices. Furthermore, difficulties in electro-thermal measurements such as droplet and surface electrostatic charge arise in applications where direct access to the condensing surface, such as in isolated chambers and small integrated devices, is not possible. Here, we present an optical technique that can determine the experimental electro-thermal parameters of the jumping droplet condensation process with high fidelity through the analysis of jumping droplet trajectories. To measure the heat flux, we observed the experimental trajectories of condensate droplets on superhydrophobic nanostructures and simultaneously matched them in space and time with simulated trajectories using the droplet dynamic equations of motion. Two independent approaches yielded mean heat fluxes of approximately 0.13 W/cm2 with standard deviations ranging from 0.047 to 0.095 W/cm2, a 79% reduction in error when compared with classical energy balance-based heat flux measurements. In addition, we analyzed the trajectories of electrostatically interacting droplets during flight and fitted the simulated and experimental results to achieve spatial and temporal agreement. The effect of image charges on a jumping droplet as it approaches the surface was analyzed, and the observed acceleration has been numerically quantified. Our work presents a sensing methodology of electro-thermal parameters governing jumping droplet condensation.

The role of sea spray in air-sea fluxes during Typhoon Molave: a study based on drifting buoy observations

The exchange of heat and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere greatly affects the growth of typhoons. Utilizing the meteorological and oceanic variables observed by a Drifting Air-sea Interface Buoy (DrIB) during Typhoon Molave, a new air-sea turbulent fluxes product (referred to as DrIB product) is developed with the consideration of the thermal and dynamic effects of sea spray in the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment algorithm. The performances of two reanalysis products, ERA5 and MERRA2, under typhoon conditions are evaluated by comparing them to the DrIB observations. In particular, the air-sea turbulent fluxes during Typhoon Molave are systematically studied. The averaged heat (momentum) flux of the DrIB product is ~200% (~30%) higher than the reanalysis. However, the reanalysis products have higher latent heat than the DrIB product, because the reanalysis products have lower wind speed, smaller air-sea temperature difference, and drier atmosphere. The sea spray-induced mean heat (momentum) flux increase is ~1% (8%) in normal weather and is ~5% (17%) at the during-typhoon stage. Sea spray amplifies the dominance of wind speed on heat fluxes and weakens the contribution of air-sea temperature and humidity differences to heat fluxes. Sea spray starts to obviously contribute to the heat fluxes at a 10-m wind speed of ~10 m/s, and it non-linearly accelerates the air-sea heat exchange at a 10-m wind speed of ~20 m/s. When the 10-m wind speed is less than 20 m/s, the basic momentum flux (without sea spray effects) at the air-sea interface is roughly one or two orders of magnitude higher than the sea spray-induced momentum flux. Including the sea spray effects, the maximum momentum flux can even double at the 10-m wind speed of ~30 m/s.

Heat Transfer Characteristics of Fullerene and Titania Nanotube Nanofluids under Agitated Quench Conditions.

Distilled water and aqueous fullerene nanofluids having concentrations of 0.02, 0.2, and 0.4 vol % and titania (titanium dioxide, TiO2) nanofluids of 0.0002, 0.002, and 0.02 vol % were analyzed for heat transfer characteristics. Quenching mediums were stirred at impeller speeds of 0, 500, 1,000, and 1,500 RPMs in a typical Tensi agitation system. During the quenching process, a metal probe made of ISO 9950 Inconel was used to record the temperature history. The inverse heat conduction method was used to calculate the spatial and temporal heat flux. The nanofluid rewetting properties were measured and matched to those of distilled water. The maximum mean heat flux was 3.26 MW/m2, and the quickest heat extraction was 0.2 vol % fullerene nanofluid, according to the results of the heat transfer investigation.

Seasonal Variation in Gravity Wave Momentum and Heat Fluxes in the Mesopause Region Observed by Sodium Lidar

AbstractThe seasonal variations in gravity wave (GW) vertical fluxes of zonal momentum and heat in the mesopause region are calculated using nearly 10 years (from 2012 to 2021) of temperature and wind observations by a narrowband sodium lidar located in Hefei, China (32°N, 117°E). Except in summer, the GW zonal momentum fluxes are mostly westward, with ∼80% contributed by the short‐period (10 min–1 hr) GWs, and anticorrelate with the eastward zonal wind. The mean westward zonal momentum fluxes in spring and winter are −2.55 and −1.78 m2/s2, respectively, which are much stronger than −0.98 m2/s2 in fall. The momentum flux in summer is primarily eastward, dominated by long‐period (1–16 hr) GWs. These seasonal variations in zonal momentum fluxes are mainly due to the filtering of GWs by the mean background wind at lower altitudes. The annual mean zonal momentum flux is westward with a value of −1.08 m2/s2. The calculated acceleration from flux divergence is westward below 93 km, opposite to the eastward mean zonal wind. The heat flux below 94 km is downward throughout the year, with no apparent seasonal variation. The annual mean heat flux is primarily downward, with a cooling rate of ∼−35 K/day between 87 and 95 km.

Effect of interaction strength on recovery downstream of incident shock interactions

Direct numerical simulations of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate interacting with an impinging shock wave are carried out with two different incident shock angles at Mach 2.25. The effect of the interaction strength on the recovery process in the downstream region is systematically studied, including the turbulence evolution, the statistical and structural properties of wall pressure fluctuations, and the generation of mean skin friction and wall heat flux. The variations of the Reynolds stress components, the anisotropy tensor, and the turbulent kinetic energy budget in the two flow cases highlight a slow reversal tendency and an increasingly pronounced importance of the outer-layer large-scale structures in the relaxation region of the strong interaction. We find that the effect of increasing the interaction strength on the fluctuating wall pressure is reflected by a decrease in the characteristic frequencies, an increase in the spatial extent, and a decrease in the convection velocity. We decompose the mean skin friction and wall heat flux into different physically informed contributions and reveal that the mean wall heat flux generation is the same regardless of the interaction strength; in contrast, the generation mechanism of mean skin friction is found to be fundamentally changed. A novel scale-decomposition method is used to quantify the effect of the increased interaction strength on the leading components, and it is demonstrated that the energetic outer-layer large-scale structures are the dominant contributor in the recovery process as the interaction strength is increased.

A new bootstrap technique to quantify uncertainty in estimates of ground surface temperature and ground heat flux histories from geothermal data

Abstract. Estimates of the past thermal state of the land surface are crucial to assess the magnitude of current anthropogenic climate change as well as to assess the ability of Earth System Models (ESMs) to forecast the evolution of the climate near the ground, which is not included in standard meteorological records. Subsurface temperature reacts to long-term changes in surface energy balance – from decadal to millennial time scales – thus constituting an important record of the dynamics of the climate system that contributes, with low-frequency information, to proxy-based paleoclimatic reconstructions. Broadly used techniques to retrieve past temperature and heat flux histories from subsurface temperature profiles based on a singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm were able to provide robust global estimates for the last millennium, but the approaches used to derive the corresponding 95 % confidence interval were wrong from a statistical point of view in addition to being difficult to interpret. To alleviate the lack of a meaningful framework for estimating uncertainties in past temperature and heat flux histories at regional and global scales, we combine a new bootstrapping sampling strategy with the broadly used SVD algorithm and assess its performance against the original SVD technique and another technique based on generating perturbed parameter ensembles of inversions. The new bootstrap approach is able to reproduce the prescribed surface temperature series used to derive an artificial profile. Bootstrap results are also in agreement with the global mean surface temperature history and the global mean heat flux history retrieved in previous studies. Furthermore, the new bootstrap technique provides a meaningful uncertainty range for the inversion of large sets of subsurface temperature profiles. We suggest the use of this new approach particularly for aggregating results from a number of individual profiles, and to this end, we release the programs used to derive all inversions in this study as a suite of codes labeled CIBOR v1: Codes for Inverting BORholes, version 1.

Heat transfer and behavior of the Reynolds stress in Mach 6 boundary layer transition induced by first-mode oblique waves

This paper investigates a Mach 6 oblique breakdown via direct numerical simulation in conjunction with stability and quadrant analyses. Particular emphasis is placed on, first, the heat transfer and mean flow distortion in the near-wall and outer transitional boundary layer, and, second, the flow events that are responsible for the production of the Reynolds stress. The energy budget reveals that enhancement of viscous dissipation due to mean flow distortion dominates the heat transfer overshoot, while the dissipation due to fluctuations is lesser but not negligible. Downstream of the location of the peak mean heat flux, the wall temperature gradient (non-dimensionalized by the freestream temperature and local boundary layer thickness) varies little, owing to the occurrence of breakdown and the establishment of self-similarity. Renormalized by the boundary layer thickness, a new correlation of the Stanton number shows no overshoot or difference between the original overshoot region and the turbulent region, which indicates the possibility of similarity once breakdown has occurred. In the outer region, enhanced advective heat exchange strongly reshapes the mean temperature profile. Because of successive modal growth and nonlinear saturation, the contributions of the primary oblique mode, streak mode, and a superharmonic to the outer advective heat transfer are found to compete near the location of the peak heat flux. From the perspective of fluid motions, quadrant analysis highlights the evenly and broadly distributed joint probability density function (PDF) of the fluctuating velocities during transition, which results in overproduction of the Reynolds stress, while the PDF is concentrated around zero in the turbulent region. The flow event Q2 (ejection) overtakes Q4 (sweep) in the outer boundary layer of the transitional region, mainly owing to the primary mode, while the two events become attenuated and nearly achieve balance when transition is complete.

CRI diesel injector transient heat–mass transfer with combustion-pollution indicated parameters consideration for Helical Orifice by various needle profiles

In the present paper, the effect of using Helical Orifice on transient heat-mass transfer and Combustion Indicated Quantities has been investigated in High Pressure Liquid Fuel Injector for different needle Movements using Avl Fire CFD code. The effect of each of the proposed needle movement profiles (triangular, trapezius, and boot) with the help of a three-dimensional moving mesh by numerical model in AVL Fire software, which has been validated with experimental data in each part, on the performance of the diesel engine and its air emission species has been investigated. Numerical results show that spiral nozzle leads to a rotational flow of fuel spray, increasing the spray cone angle and turbulence intensity inside the combustion chamber. Spiral Nozzle has more mean pressure and temperature than simple geometry of nozzle. Spiral motion leading to increasing turbulent kinetic energy and having more mean pressure, temperature, and wall heat flux. Increasing the resulting spray cone angle improves the performance of the diesel engine by reducing fuel consumption and increasing power and torque, and the production of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide pollutants due to a better fuel-air mixture, increased turbulence intensity and average temperature inside the chamber. fuel consumption decreases by 30% and its power and torque increase 55%. Also in this case, carbon monoxide pollutants decrease by 38% and nitrogen oxide pollutants decreasing by 30% for spiral nozzle with trapezius profile for needle movement.

Two-Dimensional Turbulent Thermal Free Jet: Conservation Laws, Associated Lie Symmetry and Invariant Solutions

The two-dimensional turbulent thermal free jet is formulated in the boundary layer approximation using the Reynolds averaged momentum balance equation and the averaged energy balance equation. The turbulence is described by Prandtl’s mixing length model for the eddy viscosity νT with mixing length l and eddy thermal conductivity κT with mixing length lθ. Since νT and κT are proportional to the mean velocity gradient the momentum and thermal boundaries of the flow coincide. The conservation laws for the system of two partial differential equations for the stream function of the mean flow and the mean temperature difference are derived using the multiplier method. Two conserved vectors are obtained. The conserved quantities for the mean momentum and mean heat fluxes are derived. The Lie point symmetry associated with the two conserved vectors is derived and used to perform the reduction of the partial differential equations to a system of ordinary differential equations. It is found that the mixing lengths l and lθ are proportional. A turbulent thermal jet with νT≠0 and κT≠0 but vanishing kinematic viscosity ν and thermal conductivity κ is studied. Prandtl’s hypothesis that the mixing length is proportional to the width of the jet is made to complete the system of equations. An analytical solution is derived. The boundary of the jet is determined with the aid of a conserved quantity and found to be finite. Analytical solutions are derived and plotted for the streamlines of the mean flow and the lines of constant mean thermal difference. The solution differs from the analytical solution obtained in the limit ν→0 and κ→0 without making the Prandtl’s hypothesis. For ν≠0 and κ≠0 a numerical solution is derived using a shooting method with the two conserved quantities as targets instead of boundary conditions. The numerical solution is verified by comparing it to the analytical solution when ν→0 and κ→0. Because of the limitations imposed by the accuracy of any numerical method the numerical solution could not reliably determine if the jet is unbounded when ν≠0 and κ≠0 but for large distance from the centre line, ν&gt;νT and κ&gt;κT and the jet behaves increasingly like a laminar jet which is unbounded. The streamlines of the mean flow and the lines of constant mean temperature difference are plotted for ν=0 and κ=0.

Assessing the importance of mesoscale sea‐surface temperature variations for surface turbulent cooling of the Kuroshio Extension in wintertime

Western boundary currents are well known to exhibit a strong eddy field and meandering on subseasonal timescales and wavelengths of a few hundreds of kilometers. However, the extent to which the ocean mesoscale activity associated with these motions can enhance the turbulent air–sea heat flux averaged over a large spatial domain has not been fully characterized. This study aims to do so during the cold season using reanalysis data and simplified air–sea interaction models. The correlation between sea-surface height anomaly and the wintertime mean heat fluxes does not indicate any significant relations between eddy activity and large-scale surface heat flux in the Kuroshio Extension during winter over the 2003–2018 period. The results from simple models designed to isolate the contributions from the eddies suggest that the eddy enhancement of the heat flux via a rectified effect (a bit more anomalous cooling over a warm mesoscale feature than anomalous heating over a cold one) is small compared with the long-time, large-spatial scale mean in the reanalysis data, especially along the Kuroshio Extension. It is found larger north of it, where it can reach 5 W · $$ \cdotp $$ m − 2 $$ {}^{-2} $$ . Although different datasets might disagree about the level of energy of the sea-surface temperature field at the mesoscale, a simple scaling analysis gives confidence in the relatively small values of the rectified effect found here.

Influence of atmospheric conditions on measured infrasound from wind turbines

Scientific interest towards low frequencies and infrasound from wind turbines has renewed over the last decade as the size of wind turbines and the number of wind farms have continuously increased. However, few comprehensive studies are found assessing such noise emitted by wind turbines in response to meteorological parameters, including turbulent characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer. The current work presents a detailed long-term measurement campaign combining infrasound recordings close to wind turbines and high-resolution meteorological parameters at three heights. An artificial neural network (ANN) model, developed based on the measurement data, was able to adequately predict both blade passing frequency levels and broadband infrasonic noise. The model allowed discriminating between the broadband inflow noise emitted by the wind turbines and the remaining microphone-induced wind noise under the wind-shielding dome for a wide range of atmospheric conditions. At the same time, the ANN allowed deriving physically plausible relationships between meteorological and turbulence parameters and wind turbine emitted infrasound components. Dominant predictors for the infrasound production were mean wind speed, turbulence intensity and turbulent vertical heat flux.

Simulation and Scaling of the Turbulent Vertical Heat Transport and Deep-Cycle Turbulence across the Equatorial Pacific Cold Tongue

AbstractMicrostructure observations in the Pacific cold tongue reveal that turbulence often penetrates into the thermocline, producing hundreds of watts per square meter of downward heat transport during nighttime and early morning. However, virtually all observations of this deep-cycle turbulence (DCT) are from 0°, 140°W. Here, a hierarchy of ocean process simulations, including submesoscale-permitting regional models and turbulence-permitting large-eddy simulations (LES) embedded in a regional model, provide insight into mixing and DCT at and beyond 0°, 140°W. A regional hindcast quantifies the spatiotemporal variability of subsurface turbulent heat fluxes throughout the cold tongue from 1999 to 2016. Mean subsurface turbulent fluxes are strongest (∼100 W m−2) within 2° of the equator, slightly (∼10 W m−2) stronger in the northern than Southern Hemisphere throughout the cold tongue, and correlated with surface heat fluxes (r2= 0.7). The seasonal cycle of the subsurface heat flux, which does not covary with the surface heat flux, ranges from 150 W m−2near the equator to 30 and 10 W m−2at 4°N and 4°S, respectively. Aseasonal variability of the subsurface heat flux is logarithmically distributed, covaries spatially with the time-mean flux, and is highlighted in 34-day LES of boreal autumn at 0° and 3°N, 140°W. Intense DCT occurs frequently above the undercurrent at 0° and intermittently at 3°N. Daily mean heat fluxes scale with the bulk vertical shear and the wind stress, which together explain ∼90% of the daily variance across both LES. Observational validation of the scaling at 0°, 140°W is encouraging, but observations beyond 0°, 140°W are needed to facilitate refinement of mixing parameterization in ocean models.Significance StatementThis work is a fundamental contribution to a broad community effort to improve global long-range weather and climate forecast models used for seasonal to longer-term prediction. Much of the predictability on seasonal time scales is derived from the slow evolution of the upper eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean as it varies between El Niño and La Niña conditions. This study presents state-of-the-art high-resolution regional numerical simulations of ocean turbulence and mixing in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The results inform future planning for field work as well as future efforts to refine the representation of ocean mixing in global forecast models.

Simulation of hypersonic boundary layer on porous surfaces using OpenFOAM

Hypersonic boundary layer on porous surfaces is numerically investigated using the open-source flow solver OpenFOAM. Computations of hypersonic boundary layer have not been widely conducted especially using open-source flow solvers. The solver rhoEnergyFoam Modesti and Pirozzoli (2017), which has been developed in the OpenFOAM framework, is successfully validated for hypersonic boundary layer flow in the current study. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of boundary layer at Mach 6 are pursued here with a disturbance related to the Mack second mode. The evolution of the Mack second mode is compared with the current analysis of linear stability theory (LST) and previous DNS data. The stabilization of the Mack second mode on porous surfaces is well resolved in the current computations. In addition to the stabilization of the Mack second mode with porous surfaces, aerothermodynamic features, including drag and surface heat transfer, are investigated. Without porous surfaces, the heat flux variation is even larger than the mean heat flux due to the flow instability. Porous surfaces significantly reduce the heat flux variation to the level of the mean heat flux. Mean drag and heat transfer are marginally affected by porous surfaces. Stress analysis is accompanied to investigate whether the pore structure experiences severe stress under such a high-speed condition. The current investigation on porous surfaces indicates that the surface porosity is an effective method to suppress instabilities and subsequently the heat flux variation on the wall without hampering mean aerothermodynamic characteristics.

Effects of the initial perturbations on the Rayleigh—Taylor—Kelvin—Helmholtz instability system

In the paper, the effects of initial perturbations on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI), Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), and the coupled Rayleigh-Taylor-Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (RTKHI) systems are investigated using a multiple-relaxation-time discrete Boltzmann model. Six different perturbation interfaces are designed to study the effects of the initial perturbations on the instability systems. Based on the mean heat flux strength $D_{3,1}$, the effects of initial interfaces on the coupled RTKHI are examined in detail. The research is focused on two aspects: (i) the main mechanism in the early stage of the RTKHI, (ii) the transition point from KHI-like to RTI-like for the case where the KHI dominates at earlier time and the RTI dominates at later time. It is found that the early main mechanism is related to the shape of the initial interface, which is represented by both the bilateral contact angle $\theta_{1}$ and the middle contact angle $\theta_{2}$. The influence of inverted parabolic and inverted ellipse perturbations ($\theta_{1}<90$) on the transition point of the RTKHI system is greater than that of other interfaces.