The interactions among pressure, density, vorticity and their gradients in compressible turbulent channel flows (TCF) are studied using direct numerical simulations (DNS). DNS of three isothermal-wall TCF for Mach number Ma = 0.2, 0.7, and 1.5, respectively are performed using a discontinuous Galerkin method (DGM). The Reynolds numbers of these three cases are ≈2800, based on the bulk velocity, bulk density, half channel width and dynamic viscosity at the wall. A high cross-correlation between density and spanwise vorticity occurs at y+≈4, which is coincident with the peak mean spanwise baroclinicity. The relationship between the spanwise baroclinicity and the correlation is analysed. The difference between the evolution of density and spanwise vorticity very near the wall is discussed. The transport equation for the mean product of density and vorticity fluctuations 〈ρ′ω′i〉 is presented and the distributions of terms in the 〈ρ′ω′z〉 transport equation indicate that the minima and maxima of the profiles are located around y+≈5. The connection between pressure gradients and vorticity fluxes for compressible turbulent flows with variable viscosity has been formulated and verified. High correlations (0.7–1.0) between pressure gradient and vorticity flux are found very close to the wall (y+<5). The correlation coefficients are significantly influenced by Ma and viscosity in this region. Turbulence advection plays an important role in destroying the high correlations between pressure gradient and vorticity flux in the region away from the wall (y+ > 5).

We investigate the dynamics of a thin laminar liquid film flowing under gravity down the lower wall of an inclined channel when turbulent gas flows above the film. The solution of the full system of equations describing the gas–liquid flow faces serious technical difficulties. However, a number of assumptions allow isolating the gas problem and solving it independently by treating the interface as a solid wall. This permits finding the perturbations to pressure and tangential stresses at the interface imposed by the turbulent gas in closed form. We then analyse the liquid film flow under the influence of these perturbations and derive a hierarchy of model equations describing the dynamics of the interface, i.e. boundary-layer equations, a long-wave model and a weakly nonlinear model, which turns out to be the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation with an additional term due to the presence of the turbulent gas. This additional term is dispersive and destabilising (for the counter-current case; stabilizing in the co-current case). We also combine the long-wave approximation with a weighted-residual technique to obtain an integral-boundary-layer approximation that is valid for moderately large values of the Reynolds number. This model is then used for a systematic investigation of the flooding phenomenon observed in various experiments: as the gas flow rate is increased, the initially downward-falling film starts to travel upwards while just before the wave reversal the amplitude of the waves grows rapidly. We confirm the existence of large-amplitude stationary waves by computing periodic travelling waves for the integral-boundary-layer approximation and we corroborate our travelling-wave results by time-dependent computations.

In the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2), residual gas trapping plays an important role in immobilizing CO2. In this study, we investigate the propagation of gravity currents with residual gas trapping in a two-layered porous medium. We first formulate a model for a constant-flux release of a relatively less dense fluid (CO2) from a point source into a porous medium bounded above by a horizontal less-permeable seal. After a constant-flux release ceases, a fraction of the released fluid remains within the porous spaces at the trailing edge because of the capillary forces. This capillary retention is formulated in a model of gravity currents of a finite-volume release in the two-layered medium. In the latter model, the plume shape at the end of the constant-flux release is used as an initial profile. Using these models sequentially, the propagation of both cross-sectional and axisymmetric currents is quantitatively examined.

Direct numerical simulation of a turbulent boundary layer was performed to investigate the spatially coherent structures associated with very-large-scale motions (VLSMs). The Reynolds number was varied in the range Reθ = 570–2560. The main simulation was conducted by using a computational box greater than 50δo in the streamwise domain, where δo is the boundary layer thickness at the inlet, and inflow data was obtained from a separate inflow simulation based on Lund's method. Inspection of the three-dimensional instantaneous fields showed that groups of hairpin vortices are coherently arranged in the streamwise direction and that these groups create significantly elongated low- and high-momentum regions with large amounts of Reynolds shear stress. Adjacent packet-type structures combine to form the VLSMs; this formation process is attributed to continuous stretching of the hairpins coupled with lifting-up and backward curling of the vortices. The growth of the spanwise scale of the hairpin packets occurs continuously, so it increases rapidly to double that of the original width of the packets. We employed the modified feature extraction algorithm developed by Ganapathisubramani, Longmire & Marusic (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 478, 2003, p. 35) to identify the properties of the VLSMs of hairpin vortices. In the log layer, patches with the length greater than 3δ–4δ account for more than 40% of all the patches and these VLSMs contribute approximately 45% of the total Reynolds shear stress included in all the patches. The VLSMs have a statistical streamwise coherence of the order of ~6δ; the spatial organization and coherence decrease away from the wall, but the spanwise width increases monotonically with the wall-normal distance. Finally, the application of linear stochastic estimation demonstrated the presence of packet organization in the form of a train of packets in the log layer.

A linear stability analysis for dune and ripple formation is presented that implements a rotational two-dimensional flow model valid in the smooth as well as in the transitional and rough flow regimes. Sediment is assumed to be transported as bedload, disregarding the role of suspension. Therefore, the main mechanism driving instability, for both ripples and dunes, is the phase lag between bed shear stress and bed elevation. Ripples are shown to be confined to relatively low values of the Shields parameter and of the particle Reynolds number. For higher values of the Shields parameter and of the particle Reynolds number (and thus of the Froude number and of the roughness Reynolds number), ripples are replaced by dunes. The present analysis ultimately allows for a successful unification of the theories of dune and ripple formation and for a clarification of the debated role of ripples on the formation of dunes. A good agreement between predicted and observed wavelengths for both ripples and dunes is found.

In a viscous lock-exchange gravity current, which describes the reciprocal exchange of two fluids of different densities in a horizontal channel, the front between two Newtonian fluids spreads as the square root of time. The resulting diffusion coefficient reflects the competition between the buoyancy-driving effect and the viscous damping, and depends on the geometry of the channel. This lock-exchange diffusion coefficient has already been computed for a porous medium, a two-dimensional (2D) Stokes flow between two parallel horizontal boundaries separated by a vertical height H and, recently, for a cylindrical tube. In the present paper, we calculate it, analytically, for a rectangular channel (horizontal thickness b and vertical height H) of any aspect ratio (H/b) and compare our results with experiments in horizontal rectangular channels for a wide range of aspect ratios (1/10 to 10). We also discuss the 2D Stokes–Darcy model for flows in Hele-Shaw cells and show that it leads to a rather good approximation, when an appropriate Brinkman correction is used.

The present study aims at documenting, making use of an original set-up allowing to acquire well-converged data, the coarsening of foams in two dimensions. Experiments show that a foam behaves quite differently depending on the way it has been prepared. We distinguish between an initially quasi-monodisperse foam and a polydisperse foam. The coarsening laws are initially different, although both foams reach a common, time-dependent asymptotic regime.

The ageing process relies on exchanges between adjacent foam cells (von Neumann's law), and on topological rearrangement (1 and 2 processes) whose rates are measured in all regimes. We attempt to make their contribution to the evolution of the area S and facet number n distribution of probability P(S, n, t) quantitative. The corresponding mean field theory predictions represent well the phenomenon qualitatively, and are sometimes in quantitative agreement with the measurements. A simplified version of this theory, taking the form of a Langevin model, explains in a straightforward manner the different scaling laws in the different regimes, for the different foams.

Experimental measurements of the three-dimensional (3D) velocity field in a moderate Reynolds number zero pressure-gradient boundary layer are presented. The measurements are analysed to produce 3D correlations and conditional averaging techniques are used to further elucidate the underlying structure. The results show clear evidence of vortex-packet-type structures and shed new light on the detailed 3D structure of such packets in a real zero pressure-gradient boundary layer.

Three-dimensional (3D) measurements of a turbulent boundary layer have been made using high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV) coupled with Taylor's hypothesis, with the objective of characterising the very long streamwise structures that have been observed previously. The measurements show the 3D character of both low- and high-speed structures over very long volumes. The statistics of these structures are considered, as is their relationship to the important turbulence quantities. In particular, the length of the structures and their wall-normal extent have been considered and their relationship to the other components of the velocity fluctuations and the instantaneous stress.

Although amphitheatre-shaped valley heads can be cut by groundwater flows emerging from springs, recent geological evidence suggests that other processes may also produce similar features, thus confounding the interpretations of such valley heads on Earth and Mars. To better understand the origin of this topographic form, we combine field observations, laboratory experiments, analysis of a high-resolution topographic map and mathematical theory to quantitatively characterize a class of physical phenomena that produce amphitheatre-shaped heads. The resulting geometric growth equation accurately predicts the shape of decimetre-wide channels in laboratory experiments, 100 m-wide valleys in Florida and Idaho, and kilometre-wide valleys on Mars. We find that, whenever the processes shaping a landscape favour the growth of sharply protruding features, channels develop amphitheatre-shaped heads with an aspect ratio of π.

An array of surface hot-film shear-stress sensors together with a traversing hot-wire probe is used to identify the conditional structure associated with a large-scale skin-friction event in a high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layer. It is found that the large-scale skin-friction events convect at a velocity that is much faster than the local mean in the near-wall region (the convection velocity for large-scale skin-friction fluctuations is found to be close to the local mean at the midpoint of the logarithmic region). Instantaneous shear-stress data indicate the presence of large-scale structures at the wall that are comparable in scale and arrangement to the superstructure events that have been previously observed to populate the logarithmic regions of turbulent boundary layers. Conditional averages of streamwise velocity computed based on a low skin-friction footprint at the wall offer a wider three-dimensional view of the average superstructure event. These events consist of highly elongated forward-leaning low-speed structures, flanked on either side by high-speed events of similar general form. An analysis of small-scale energy associated with these large-scale events reveals that the small-scale velocity fluctuations are attenuated near the wall and upstream of a low skin-friction event, while downstream and above the low skin-friction event, the fluctuations are significantly amplified. In general, it is observed that the attenuation and amplification of the small-scale energy seems to approximately align with large-scale regions of streamwise acceleration and deceleration, respectively. Further conditional averaging based on streamwise skin-friction gradients confirms this observation. A conditioning scheme to detect the presence of meandering large-scale structures is also proposed. The large-scale meandering events are shown to be a possible source of the strong streamwise velocity gradients, and as such play a significant role in modulating the small-scale motions.

We describe a mathematical model of buoyancy-driven flow and solute transport in a saturated porous medium, the porosity and permeability of which evolve through precipitation and dissolution as a mineral is lost or gained from the pore fluid. Imposing a vertically varying equilibrium solubility creates a density gradient which can drive convective circulation. We characterise the onset of convection using linear stability analysis, and explore the further development of the coupled reaction–convection system numerically. At low Rayleigh numbers, the effect of the reaction–permeability feedback is shown to be destabilising through a novel reaction–diffusion mechanism; at higher Rayleigh numbers, the precipitation and dissolution have a stabilising effect. Over longer time scales, reaction–permeability feedback triggers secondary instabilities in quasi-steady convective circulation, leading to rapid reversals in the direction of circulation. Over very long time scales, characteristic patterns of porosity emerge, including horizontal layering as well as the development of vertical chimneys of enhanced porosity. We discuss the implications of these findings for more comprehensive models of reactive convection in porous media.

Motivated by recent experiments, we study a rich variation of the familiar Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC), where the temperature at the lower boundary varies sinusoidally about a mean value. As usual the Rayleigh number R measures the average temperature gradient, while the additional spatial modulation is characterized by a (small) amplitude δm and a wavevector qm. Our analysis relies on precise numerical solutions of suitably adapted Oberbeck–Boussinesq equations (OBE). In the absence of forcing (δm = 0), convection rolls with wavenumber qc bifurcate only for R above the critical Rayleigh number Rc. In contrast, for δm≠0, convection is unavoidable for any finite R; in the most simple case in the form of ‘forced rolls’ with wavevector qm. According to our first comprehensive stability diagram of these forced rolls in the qm – R plane, they develop instabilities against resonant oblique modes at R ≲ Rc in a wide range of qm/qc. Only for qm in the vicinity of qc, the forced rolls remain stable up to fairly large R > Rc. Direct numerical simulations of the OBE support and extend the findings of the stability analysis. Moreover, we are in line with the experimental results and also with some earlier theoretical results on this problem, based on asymptotic expansions in the limit δm → 0 and R → Rc. It is satisfying that in many cases the numerical results can be directly interpreted in terms of suitably constructed amplitude and generalized Swift–Hohenberg equations.

After having revisited the theory of linear waves in the rotating shallow-water model with a straight coast and arbitrary shelf/beach bathymetry, we undertake a detailed study of resonant interaction of free Poincaré waves with modes trapped in the coastal waveguide. We describe and quantify the mechanisms of resonant excitation of waveguide modes and their subsequent nonlinear saturation. We obtain the modulation equations for the amplitudes of excited waveguide modes in the absence and in the presence of spatial modulation and analyse their solutions. Different saturation regimes are exhibited, depending on the nature of the modes involved. The excitation is proved to be efficient, i.e. the saturated amplitudes of the excited waves considerably exceed the amplitude of the generator waves. Back-influence of the excited waveguide modes onto the open ocean results in a phase shift of the reflected Poincaré waves and possible energy redistribution between them. A comparison of rotating and non-rotating cases displays substantial differences in excitation mechanisms in the two cases.

We investigate the effect of localized leakage on the storage of buoyant fluids in inclined porous reservoirs, with application to the geological storage of CO2. We find that once the current has propagated some distance beyond the point of leakage, its profile becomes steady in time, save for the nose, which advances at a constant speed. Crucially, this steady state implies that the efficiency of storage (defined as the instantaneous proportion of the injected fluid that does not leak) tends to a finite value. This contrasts with previous studies of localized leakage in horizontal reservoirs, which found that the efficiency of storage tends to zero at late times. We analyse the steady-state efficiency and the time scales of evolution for a leakage point located either upslope or downslope of the injection point using analytical and numerical methods. These findings are verified by model laboratory experiments. Finally, we consider the implications of our results for the geological storage of CO2 under sloping cap rocks compromised by a fracture or fissure.

The three-dimensional flow around two spherical bubbles moving in a viscous fluid is studied numerically by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations. The study considers the interaction between two bubbles for moderate Reynolds numbers (50 ≤ Re ≤ 500, Re being based on the bubble diameter) and for positions described by the separation S (2.5 ≤ S ≤ 10, S being the distance between the bubble centres normalised by the bubble radius) and the angle θ (0° ≤ θ ≤ 90°) formed between the centreline and the direction perpendicular to the direction of the motion. We provide a general description of the interaction extending the results obtained for two bubbles moving side by side (θ = 0°) by Legendre, Magnaudet & Mougin (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 497, 2003, p. 133) and for two bubbles moving in line (θ = 90°) by Yuan & Prosperetti J. Fluid Mech., vol. 278, 1994, p. 325). Simple models based on physical arguments are given for the drag and lift forces experienced by each bubble. The interaction is the combination of three effects: a potential effect, a viscous correction (Moore's correction) and a significant wake effect observed on both the drag and the transverse forces of the second bubble when located in the wake of the first one.

Interfacial instabilities of multi-layer shear flows may be eliminated by astute positioning of yield stress fluid layers that remain unyielded at the interface(s). We study the initiation, development lengths and temporal stability of such flows in the setting of a Newtonian core fluid surrounded by a Bingham lubricated fluid, within a pipe. Flow initiation is effected by starting the flow with a pipe full of stationary Bingham fluid and injecting both inner and outer fluids simultaneously. Initial instability and dispersive mixing at the front remains localised and is advected from the pipe leaving behind a stable multi-layer configuration, found for moderate Reynolds numbers (Re), for a broad range of interface radii (ri) and for different inlet diameters (Ri), whenever the base flow parameters admit a multi-layer flow with unyielded interface. The established flows have three distinct entry lengths. These relate to: (i) establishment of the first unyielded plug close to the interface (shortest); (ii) establishment of the interface radius; (iii) establishment of the velocity profile (longest). The three entry lengths increase with Re and decrease with both the Bingham number (B) and the viscosity ratio (m). Nonlinear temporal stability to axisymmetric perturbations is studied numerically, considering initial perturbations that are either localised in yielded parts of the flow or that initially break the unyielded plug regions. The aim is to understand structural aspects of the flow stability, not easily extracted from the energy stability results of Moyers-Gonzalez, Frigaard & Nouar (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 506, 2004, p. 117). The initial stages of a stable perturbed flow are characterised by a very rapid decay of the perturbation kinetic energy during which time the unyielded plug reforms (or breaks and reforms). This is followed by slower exponential decay on a viscous timescale (t ~ Re). For smaller Re and moderate initial amplitudes A, the perturbations decay to the numerical tolerance. As either Re or A is increased sufficiently, a number of interesting phenomena arise. The amount of dispersion increases, making the interfacial region increasingly diffuse and limiting the final decay. At larger Re or A, we find secondary flow structures that persist. A first example of these is when the shear stress decays below the yield stress before the velocity perturbation has decayed, leading to freezing in of the interface shape. This can lead to flows with a rigid wavy interface. Secondly, depending on the core fluid radius and thickness of the surrounding plug region, we may observe a range of dispersive structures akin to the pearls and mushrooms of d'Olce et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 20, 2008, art. 024104).

The motion of a homogeneous fluid of viscosity ν confined in a librating ellipsoidal cavity with semi-axes a and moderate equatorial eccentricity is investigated. The ellipsoid rotates with an angular velocity Ω0(1 + δsint), where Ω0 is the mean rate of rotation, is the libration frequency and Ω0δ represents the amplitude of longitudinal libration. When δ ≪2 and E1/2 ≪ 2 ≪ 1, where E is the Ekman number defined as E = ν/(a2Ω0), an explicit analytical solution describing fluid motion in librating ellipsoids is derived for any size of the libration frequency . Three-dimensional numerical simulations of the same problem are also performed, revealing the generation of mean zonal flow in librating ellipsoidal cavities and showing a satisfactory agreement between the asymptotic and numerical analyses.

The storage of carbon dioxide and acid gases in deep geological formations is considered a promising option for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. An understanding of the primary mechanisms such as convective mixing and geochemistry that affect the long-term geostorage process in deep saline aquifers is of prime importance. First, a linear stability analysis of an unstable diffusive boundary layer in porous media is presented, where the instability occurs due to a density difference between the carbon dioxide saturated brine and the resident brine. The impact of geochemical reactions on the stability of the boundary layer is examined. The equations are linearised, and the obtained system of eigenvalue problems is solved numerically. The linear stability results have revealed that geochemistry stabilises the boundary layer as reaction consumes the dissolved carbon dioxide and makes the density profile, as the source of instability, more uniform. A detailed physical discussion is also presented with an examination of vorticity and concentration eigenfunctions and streamlines' contours to reveal how the geochemical reaction may affect the hydrodynamics of the process. We also investigate the effects of the Rayleigh number and the diffusion time on the stability of a boundary layer coupled with geochemical reactions. Nonlinear direct numerical simulations are also presented, in which the evolution of density-driven instabilities for different reaction rates is discussed. The development of instability is precisely studied for various scenarios. The results indicate that the boundary layer will be more stable for systems with a higher rate of reaction. However, our quantitative analyses show that more carbon dioxide may be removed from the supercritical free phase as the measured flux at the boundary is always higher for flow systems coupled with stronger geochemical reactions.

According to linear theory and assuming the liquids to be inviscid and the bubbles to remain spherical, bubbles set in oscillation attract or repel each other with a force that is proportional to the product of their amplitude of volume pulsations and inversely proportional to the square of their distance apart. This force is attractive, if the forcing frequency lies outside the range of eigenfrequencies for volume oscillation of the two bubbles. Here we study the nonlinear interaction of two deformable bubbles set in oscillation in water by a step change in the ambient pressure, by solving the Navier–Stokes equations numerically. As in typical experiments, the bubble radii are in the range 1–1000 μm. We find that the smaller bubbles (~5 μm) deform only slightly, especially when they are close to each other initially. Increasing the bubble size decreases the capillary force and increases bubble acceleration towards each other, leading to oblate or spherical cap or even globally deformed shapes. These deformations may develop primarily in the rear side of the bubbles because of a combination of their translation and harmonic or subharmonic resonance between the breathing mode and the surface harmonics. Bubble deformation is also promoted when they are further apart or when the disturbance amplitude decreases. The attractive force depends on the Ohnesorge number and the ambient pressure to capillary forces ratio, linearly on the radius of each bubble and inversely on the square of their separation. Additional damping either because of liquid compressibility or heat transfer in the bubble is also examined.