Validity ranges of interfacial wave theories in a two-layer fluid system

In the present paper, we endeavor to accomplish a diagram, which demarcates the validity ranges for interfacial wave theories in a two-layer system, to meet the needs of design in ocean engineering. On the basis of the available solutions of periodic and solitary waves, we propose a guideline as principle to identify the validity regions of the interfacial wave theories in terms of wave period T, wave height H, upper layer thickness d ₁, and lower layer thickness d ₂, instead of only one parameter–water depth d as in the water surface wave circumstance. The diagram proposed here happens to be Le Méhauté’s plot for free surface waves if water depth ratio r = d ₁/d ₂ approaches to infinity and the upper layer water density ρ ₁ to zero. On the contrary, the diagram for water surface waves can be used for two-layer interfacial waves if gravity acceleration g in it is replaced by the reduced gravity defined in this study under the condition of σ = (ρ ₂ − ρ ₁)/ρ ₂ → 1.0 and r > 1.0. In the end, several figures of the validity ranges for various interfacial wave theories in the two-layer fluid are given and compared with the results for surface waves. The project supported by the Knowledge Innovation Project of CAS (KJCX-YW-L02), the National 863 Project of China (2006AA09A103-4), China National Oil Corporation in Beijing (CNOOC), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10672056).     

Complex turbulent compressible flow computation using a two-layer approach

A two-layer approach is proposed to compute complex flows including separations. For high- and low-Reynolds-number regions we use a two-equation k-? model and a one-equation k-L model respectively. A robust algorithm is proposed for the treatment of the convective part of the turbulence equations. Several complex configurations including separations are computed.     

Phase velocity spectrum of internal waves in a weakly-stratified two-layer fluid

The problem of steady-state internal waves in a weakly stratified two-layer fluid with a density that is constant in the lower layer and depends exponentially on the depth in the upper layer is considered. The spectral properties of the equations of small perturbations of a homogeneous piecewise-constant flow are described. A nonlinear ordinary differential equation describing solitary waves and smooth bores on the layer interface is obtained using the Boussinesq expansion in a small parameter.     

Water wave interaction with a sphere in a two-layer fluid flowing through a channel of finite depth

Using linear water wave theory, we consider a three-dimensional problem involving the interaction of waves with a sphere in a fluid consisting of two layers with the upper layer and lower layer bounded above and below, respectively, by rigid horizontal walls, which are approximations of the free surface and the bottom surface; these walls can be assumed to constitute a channel. The effects of surface tension at the surface of separation is neglected. For such a situation time-harmonic waves propagate with one wave number only, unlike the case when one of the layers is of infinite depth with the waves propagating with two wave numbers. Method of multipole expansions is used to find the particular solutions for the problems of wave radiation and scattering by a submerged sphere placed in either of the upper or lower layer. The added-mass and damping coefficients for heave and sway motions are derived and plotted against various values of the wave number. Similarly the exciting forces due to heave and sway motions are evaluated and presented graphically. The features of the results find good agreement with previously available results from the point of view of physical interpretation.     

Numerical simulation of plane and spatial nonlinear stationary waves in a two-layer fluid of arbitrary depth

The solution of a model differential equation for the three-dimensional perturbations of the interface between two immiscible fluids of different densities lying between a stationary nondeformable bottom and cover is presented. It is assumed that the waves have an arbitrary length and small, though finite, amplitude. The shapes of stationary traveling internal waves, both periodic in the two horizontal coordinates and soliton-like, are presented. These shapes depend on different parameters of the problem: the direction of the perturbation wave vector and the fluid layer depth and density ratios.     

Analysis of current induced by long internal solitary waves in stratified ocean

An approximate theoretical expression for the current induced by long internal solitary waves is presented when the ocean is continuously or two-layer stratified. Particular attention is paid to characterizing velocity fields in terms of magnitude, flow components, and their temporal evolution/spatial distribution. For the two-layer case, the effects of the upper/lower layer depths and the relative layer density difference upon the induced current are further studied. The results show that the horizontal components are basically uniform in each layer with a shear at the interface. In contrast, the vertical counterparts vary monotonically in the direction of the water depth in each layer while they change sign across the interface or when the wave peak passes through. In addition, though the vertical components are generally one order of magnitude smaller than the horizontal ones, they can never be neglected in predicting the heave response of floating platforms in gravitationally neutral balance. Comparisons are made between the partial theoretical results and the observational field data. Future research directions regarding the internal wave induced flow field are also indicated.     

Resonant flow of a fluid past a concave topography

I.IntroductionThestudyofaflowoffluidpastatopographicbottomisatopicoftheoreticalandpracticalsignificance.Inrecentyears,theforcedKorteweg-deVriesequation(orocdVequation)hasbeenregardedasatraditionalmodeloftheprobleml"2].Sometimestheeffectofsurfacetensioncou…     

Nonlinear waves in fluid flow through a viscoelastic tube

A system of nonlinear equations for describing the perturbations of the pressure and radius in fluid flow through a viscoelastic tube is derived. A differential relation between the pressure and the radius of a viscoelastic tube through which fluid flows is obtained. Nonlinear evolutionary equations for describing perturbations of the pressure and radius in fluid flow are derived. It is shown that the Burgers equation, the Korteweg-de Vries equation, and the nonlinear fourth-order evolutionary equation can be used for describing the pressure pulses on various scales. Exact solutions of the equations obtained are discussed. The numerical solutions described by the Burgers equation and the nonlinear fourth-order evolutionary equation are compared.     

Finite-amplitude solitary waves in a two-layer fluid

Second-mode nonlinear internal waves at a thin interface between homogeneous layers of immiscible fluids of different densities have been studied theoretically and experimentally. A mathematical model is proposed to describe the generation, interaction, and decay of solitary internal waves which arise during intrusion of a fluid with intermediate density into the interlayer. An exact solution which specifies the shape of solitary waves symmetric about the unperturbed interface is constructed, and the limiting transition for finite-amplitude waves at the interlayer thickness vanishing is substantiated. The fine structure of the flow in the vicinity of a solitary wave and its effect on horizontal mass transfer during propagation of short intrusions have been studied experimentally. It is shown that, with friction at the interfaces taken into account, the mathematical model adequately describes the variation in the phase and amplitude characteristics of solitary waves during their propagation.     

On wave families in a two-layer falling film

Using an approximate method, families of non-linear steady-traveling periodic waves in a two-layer falling film have been found for the first time. Computed waves have qualitatively similar behavior as that of those found in homogeneous films but the quantitative characteristics of the waves strongly depend on additional similarity parameters in the two-layer films. In particular, the average location of the interface affects the bifurcation scheme of the waves.     

Exact expressions for transient forced internal gravity waves and spatially-localized wave packets in a Boussinesq fluid

We re-examine a simple model describing the propagation of transient forced internal gravity waves in a Boussinesq fluid with constant horizontal mean velocity which was previously studied by Nadon and Campbell (Wave Motion, 2007). The waves are generated by a horizontally-periodic lower boundary condition and propagate upwards. We derive an alternative exact expression for the solution which more readily gives insight into the behaviour of the solution at high altitude. Some special cases of lower boundary conditions are considered to illustrate the features of the solution. This form of the solution allows us to use a Fourier transform to derive the solution for the more general situation where a wave packet is generated by a horizontally-localized lower boundary condition, comprising a continuous spectrum of horizontal wavenumbers or Fourier modes. This is a more realistic representation of internal gravity waves in the atmosphere and can be used as a starting point for investigating waves generated by an obstacle of finite horizontal extent such as an isolated mountain or a mountain range.     

Suppression or enhancement of interfacial instability in two-layer plane Couette flow of FENE-P fluids past a deformable solid layer

The linear stability of two-layer plane Couette flow of FENE-P fluids past a deformable solid layer is analyzed in order to examine the effect of solid deformability on the interfacial instability due to elasticity and viscosity stratification at the two-fluid interface. The solid layer is modeled using both linear viscoelastic and neo-Hookean constitutive equations. The limiting case of two-layer flow of upper-convected Maxwell (UCM) fluids is used as a starting point, and results for the FENE-P case are obtained by numerically continuing the UCM results for the interfacial mode to finite values of the chain extensibility parameter. For the case of two-layer plane Couette flow past a rigid solid surface, our results show that the finite extensibility of the polymer chain significantly alters the neutral stability boundaries of the interfacial instability. In particular, the two-layer Couette flow of FENE-P fluids is found to be unstable in a larger range of nondimensional parameters when compared to two-layer flow of UCM fluids. The presence of the deformable solid layer is shown to completely suppress the interfacial instability in most of the parameter regimes where the interfacial mode is unstable, while it could have a completely destabilizing effect in other parameter regimes even when the interfacial mode is stable in rigid channels. When compared with two-layer UCM flow, the two-layer FENE-P case is found in general to require solid layers with relatively lower shear modulii in order to suppress the interfacial instability. The results from the linear elastic solid model are compared with those obtained using the (more rigorous) neo-Hookean model for the solid, and good agreement is found between the two models for neutral stability curves pertaining to the two-fluid interfacial mode. The present study thus provides an important extension of the earlier analysis of two-layer UCM flow [V. Shankar, Stability of two-layer viscoelastic plane Couette flow past a deformable solid layer: implications of fluid viscosity stratification, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 125 (2005) 143–158] to more accurate constitutive models for the fluid and solid layers, and reaffirms the central conclusion of instability suppression in two-layer flows of viscoelastic fluids by soft elastomeric coatings in more realistic settings.     

Dispersion of linear gravity waves on a viscoelastic fluid in an horizontal canal

A characteristic equation is derived that describes the spatial decay of linear surface gravity waves on Maxwell fluids. Except at small frequencies, the derived dispersion relation is different from the temporal decay dispersion relation which is normally studied within fluid mechanics. The implications for waves on viscous Newtonian fluids using the two different dispersion relations is briefly discussed. The wave number is measured experimentally as function of the frequency in a horizontal canal. Seven Newtonian fluids and four viscoelastic liquids with constant viscosity have been used in the experiments. The spatial decay theory for Newtonian fluids fits well to the experimental data. The model and experiments are used to determine limits for the Maxwell fluid time numbers for the four viscoelastic liquids. As a result of low viscosity it was not possible within this study to obtain these time numbers from oscillatory experiments. Therefore, a comparison of surface gravity wave experiments with theory is applicable as a method to evaluate memory times of low viscosity viscoelastic fluids.     

Waves induced by a submerged moving dipole in a two-layer fluid of finite depth

The waves induced by a moving dipole in a twofluid system are analytically and experimentally investigated.The velocity potential of a dipole moving horizontally in the lower layer of a two-layer fluid with finite depth is derived by superposing Green‘s functions of sources (or sinks). The far-field waves are studied by using the method of stationary phase. The effects of two resulting modes, i.e. the surfaceand internal-wave modes, on both the surface divergence field and the interfacial elevation are analyzed. A laboratory study on the internal waves generated by a moving sphere in a two-layer fluid is conducted in a towing tank under the same conditions as in the theoretical approach. The qualitative consistency between the present theory and the laboratory study is examined and confirmed.     

Computation of 2D Navier–Stokes equations with moving interfaces by using GMRES

In this paper, we present a novel numerical algorithm to compute two‐dimensional (2D) viscous interfacial flows governed by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations together with interfacial conditions. The essential idea is to use the generalized minimum residual (GMRES) method to efficiently solve the large algebraic system resulting from the temporal and spatial discretizations. With this algorithm, moving interfaces can be captured with high accuracy and viscous effects on wave motion can be studied in detail. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linear resonance in viscous films on inclined wavy planes

We study viscous gravity-driven films flowing over periodically undulated substrates. Linear analysis describes steady flow along small amplitude corrugations for films of arbitrary thickness. Solving the resulting system numerically, we demonstrate resonance (or, possibly, near resonance) and identify different behaviours for thin, intermediate and thick films. Approximating the leading-order velocity profile by the free surface value allows for an analytic solution, which – in the limit of high Reynolds numbers – recovers the different regimes and reveals the relevant physical mechanisms. Our results support the view that the resonance is associated with an interaction of the undulated film with capillary-gravity waves travelling against the mean flow direction. As a consequence, the resonance peak is attained under conditions that render the wave phase velocity equal to zero in the laboratory reference frame, and thus permit direct exchange of energy between the steadily deformed film and the free surface.