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Nonlinear evolution of linear optimal perturbations of strongly stratified shear layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2017

A. K. Kaminski Open the ORCID record for A. K. Kaminski [Opens in a new window] ,
C. P. Caulfield Open the ORCID record for C. P. Caulfield [Opens in a new window]  and
J. R. Taylor Open the ORCID record for J. R. Taylor [Opens in a new window]
A. K. Kaminski*
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 CEOAS Administration Building, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
C. P. Caulfield
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK BP Institute, University of Cambridge, Madingley Rise, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0EZ, UK
J. R. Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK
*
†Email address for correspondence: kaminska@coas.oregonstate.edu
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Abstract

The Miles–Howard theorem states that a necessary condition for normal-mode instability in parallel, inviscid, steady stratified shear flows is that the minimum gradient Richardson number, $Ri_{g,min}$, is less than $1/4$ somewhere in the flow. However, the non-normality of the Navier–Stokes and buoyancy equations may allow for substantial perturbation energy growth at finite times. We calculate numerically the linear optimal perturbations which maximize the perturbation energy gain for a stably stratified shear layer consisting of a hyperbolic tangent velocity distribution with characteristic velocity $U_{0}^{\ast }$ and a uniform stratification with constant buoyancy frequency $N_{0}^{\ast }$. We vary the bulk Richardson number $Ri_{b}=N_{0}^{\ast 2}h^{\ast 2}/U_{0}^{\ast 2}$ (corresponding to $Ri_{g,min}$) between 0.20 and 0.50 and the Reynolds numbers $\mathit{Re}=U_{0}^{\ast }h^{\ast }/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}^{\ast }$ between 1000 and 8000, with the Prandtl number held fixed at $\mathit{Pr}=1$. We find the transient growth of non-normal perturbations may be sufficient to trigger strongly nonlinear effects and breakdown into small-scale structures, thereby leading to enhanced dissipation and non-trivial modification of the background flow even in flows where $Ri_{g,min}>1/4$. We show that the effects of nonlinearity are more significant for flows with higher $\mathit{Re}$, lower $Ri_{b}$ and higher initial perturbation amplitude $E_{0}$. Enhanced kinetic energy dissipation is observed for higher-$Re$ and lower-$Ri_{b}$ flows, and the mixing efficiency, quantified here by $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{p}/(\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{p}+\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{k})$ where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{p}$ is the dissipation rate of density variance and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{k}$ is the dissipation rate of kinetic energy, is found to be approximately 0.35 for the most strongly nonlinear cases.

JFM classification

Instability: Instability Geophysical and Geological Flows: Stratified flows Instability: Transition to turbulence
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 825 , 25 August 2017 , pp. 213 - 244
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Copyright
© 2017 Cambridge University Press 

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