Experiments on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of an air/SF6 interface

Results of flow visualization experiments of an impulsively accelerated plane interface between air and SF₆ are reported. The shock tube used for the experiments has a larger test section than in previous experiments. The larger extent of uniform test flow relative to nonuniform boundary-layer flow permits unambiguous interpretation of flow-visualization photographs, and the influence of shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions is no longer dominant. The strong wall vortex observed in previous studies is not observed in these experiments. It is found that the thin membrane, which forms the initially plane interface, has a significant influence on the initial growth rate of the interface thickness. However, the measured growth rates after the first reflected shock are independent of membrane configuration and are in good agreement with analytical predictions.On leave from Stosswellenlabor (Shock Wave Laboratory), RWTH Aachen, Templergraben 55, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.This article was processed by the author using theLAT_EX style filepljour2 from Springer-Verlag.     

Hot-wire method for measurements of turbulent mixing induced by Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in shock tube

A constant temperature hot-wire anemometry method is applied to the study of mixing zones induced by the interaction of a shock wave with Mach number 1.25 in air with air/helium (heavy/light), air/argon or air/krypton (light/heavy) initially plane interfaces. The single wire gauge is positioned at various locations along the shock tube axis. At the present stage of our investigation, although the analysis of the hot-wire signal is not achieved yet, we report the interesting concept of using hot-wire anemometry as a diagnostic method for shock tube studies of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. Based on this preliminary work, we discuss prospective experimental signal conversion, in order to provide some new results for this field of investigation, in particular for resolving characteristics of the turbulent mixing zone which is of most interest. Received 3 August 2000 / Accepted 15 February 2001     

激波管实验研究非均匀流场R-M不稳定性

利用激波管装置及马赫数为1.27的弱入射激波实验研究了SF6非均匀流场的R-M不稳定性。Air/SF6初始正弦界面由厚度为0.5μm的薄膜相隔得到,由阴影方法记录界面演化过程。实验结果表明:由于不稳定性,重流体(SF6)向轻流体(Air)演化成"尖钉"结构,而轻流体演化为"气泡"结构;由于界面切向速度差的Kelvin-Helmholtz不稳定性,"尖钉"头部翻转成蘑菇头形状;由于流场密度分布不均,低密度区流场扰动增长较快,扰动振幅发展的实验结果与PPM数值计算的结果较吻合。     

Development of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability upon interaction of a diffusion mixing layer of two gases with shock waves

Based on the previously formulated mathematical model of mechanics of a two-velocity two-temperature mixture of gases, the evolution of an initially disturbed mixing layer of two gases with different densities under the action of shock waves is considered in a two-dimensional unsteady approximation. Problems of interaction of shock waves with a sinusoidally disturbed diffuse layer are solved numerically. The predicted variation of the mixing-region width are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 3–11, May–June, 2005.     

Experimental study of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability induced by a Mach 3 shock wave

An experimental investigation of a shock-induced interfacial instability (Richtmyer-Meshkov instability) is undertaken in an effort to study temporal evolution of interfacial perturbations in the late stages of development. The experiments are performed in a vertical shock tube with a square cross-section. A membraneless interface is prepared by retracting a sinusoidally shaped metal plate initially separating carbon dioxide from air, with both gases initially at atmospheric pressure. With carbon dioxide above the plate, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability commences as the plate is retracted and the amplitude of the initial sinusoidal perturbation imposed on the interface begins to grow. The interface is accelerated by a strong shock wave (M = 3.08) while its shape is still sinusoidal and before the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability distorts it into the well known mushroom-like structures; its initial amplitude to wavelength ratio is large enough that the interface evolution enters its nonlinear stage very shortly after shock acceleration. The pre-shock evolution of the interface due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and the post-shock evolution of the interface due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability are visualized using planar Mie scattering. The pre-shock evolution of the interface is carried out in an independent set of experiments. The initial conditions for the Richtmyer-Meshkov experiment are determined from the pre-shock Rayleigh-Taylor growth. One image of the post-shock interface is obtained per experiment and image sequences, showing the post-shock evolution of the interface, are constructed from several experiments. The growth rate of the perturbation amplitude is measured and compared with two recent analytical models of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability.PACS: 52.35.Py, 52.35.Tc     

反射激波作用重气柱的Richtmyer-Meshkov不稳定性的实验研究

采用高速摄影结合激光片光源技术,研究了反射激波冲击空气环境中重气体(SF₆)气柱的Richtmyer-Meshkov不稳定性。通过在横式激波管试验段采用可移动反射端壁获得不同反射距离,实现了反射激波在不同时刻二次冲击处于演化中后期的气柱界面,得到了不同的界面演化规律。反射距离较小时,斜压机制对气柱界面形态演化的影响显著,界面衍生出二次涡对结构;反射距离较大时,压力扰动机制的影响显著,界面在流向上被明显地压缩,没有形成明显的涡结构。由气柱界面形态的时间演化图像得到了界面位置和整体尺度随时间的变化,对反射激波作用后气柱界面的演化进行了量化分析。     

Laser absorption density direct measurements with limitation of temperature variation field in shock-induced gaseous mixing

We describe a laser absorption technique to obtain reasonably accurate density profiles within a shock-induced Richtmyer-Meshkov mixing zone. Assuming a small temperature variation through the probed region, a single wavelength absorption experiment only is needed. When this criterium is satisfied, the technique described represents a considerable simplification over the more generally required dual wavelength experiments. Received 4 May 1996 / Accepted 7 October 1996     

Study of the membrane effect on turbulent mixing measurements in shock tubes

The effect of the thin membrane on the time evolution of the shock wave induced turbulent mixing between the two gases initially separated by it is investigated using two different sets of experiments. In the first set, in which a single-mode large-amplitude initial perturbation was studied, two gas combinations (air/SF and air/air) and two membrane thicknesses were used. The main conclusion of these experiments was that the tested membrane has a negligible effect on the evolution of the mixing zone, which evolves as predicted theoretically. In the second set, in which similar gas combinations and membrane thicknesses were used, small amplitude random-mode initial perturbation, caused by the membrane rupture, rather than the large amplitude single-mode initial perturbation used in the first set, was studied. The conclusions of these experiments were: (1) The membrane has a significant effect on the mixing zone during the initial stages of its growth. This has also been observed in the air/air experiment where theoretically no growth should exist. (2) The membrane effect on the late time evolution, where the mixing zone width has reached a relatively large-amplitude, was relatively small and in good agreement with full numerical simulations. The main conclusion from the present experiments is that the effect of the membrane is important only during the initial stages of the evolution (before the re-shock), when the perturbations have very small amplitudes, and is negligible when the perturbations reach relatively large amplitudes. Received 29 August 1998 / Accepted 25 December 1998     

Interaction of Small Hydrodynamic Perturbations with a Nonequilibrium Region in a Gas Flow

The problem of interaction of small hydrodynamic perturbations with a nonequilibrium region in a Gas flow with different models of energy pumping is solved. One-dimensional and two-dimensional interactions are considered. A range of system parameters is found in which interaction occurs in a resonant manner (significant amplification of perturbations is observed). It is demonstrated that interaction of vortex perturbations with the nonequilibrium region generates heat waves. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 46, No. 6, pp. 58–64, November–December, 2005.     

Stability of a fluid in a horizontal saturated porous layer: effect of non-linear concentration profile, initial, and boundary conditions

Carbon dioxide injected into saline aquifers dissolves in the resident brines increasing their density, which might lead to convective mixing. Understanding the factors that drive convection in aquifers is important for assessing geological CO₂ storage sites. A hydrodynamic stability analysis is performed for non-linear, transient concentration fields in a saturated, homogenous, porous medium under various boundary conditions. The onset of convection is predicted using linear stability analysis based on the amplification of the initial perturbations. The difficulty with such stability analysis is the choice of the initial conditions used to define the imposed perturbations. We use different noises to find the fastest growing noise as initial conditions for the stability analysis. The stability equations are solved using a Galerkin technique. The resulting coupled ordinary differential equations are integrated numerically using a fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. The upper and lower bounds of convection instabilities are obtained. We find that at high Rayleigh numbers, based on the fastest growing noise for all boundary conditions, both the instability time and the initial wavelength of the convective instabilities are independent of the porous layer thickness. The current analysis provides approximations that help in screening suitable candidates for homogenous geological CO₂ sequestration sites.