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Mixing efficiency in run-down gravity currents

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Hughes, GO 
Linden, PF 

Abstract

This paper presents measurements of mixing efficiency of the two counter-flowing gravity currents created by symmetric lock exchange in a channel. The novel feature of this work is that the buoyancy Reynolds number of the currents is higher than in previous experiments, so that the mixing is not significantly affected by viscosity. We find that the mixing efficiency asymptotes to 0.08 at high Reynolds numbers. We present a model of the mixing based on the evolution of idealized mean profiles of velocity and density at the interface between the two currents, the results of which are in good agreement with the measurements of mixing efficiency.

Description

Keywords

gravity currents, stratified flows, stratified turbulence

Journal Title

Journal of Fluid Mechanics

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0022-1120
1469-7645

Volume Title

809

Publisher

Cambridge University Press
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/K034529/1)
G.O.H. was hosted by DAMTP and supported by Australian Research Council Future Fellowship FT100100869 during part of this work. This work was supported, in part, by EPSRC Programme Grant EP/K034529/1 and by the Royal Society