Analytical solutions for long-time steady state Boussinesq gravity currents flowing along a horizontal boundary of finite length
Résumé
This paper presents analytical solutions for a steady turbulent miscible gravity current flowing
along a horizontal rigid boundary of finite length into a quiescent uniform environment. These
solutions are obtained from the governing equations (mass, momentum and buoyancy) originally
proposed by Ellison & Turner [J. Fluid. Mech., 6, 423 (1959)] for a buoyant layer of fluid in the
Boussinesq approximation. For a constant drag coefficient Cd and the specific entrainment law
E ∝ Ri^{-1}, Ri being the local Richardson number, we first derived a system of coupled ordinary differential
equations describing the longitudinal evolution of the velocity u, the height h, the density
deficit η and the Richardson number Ri of the current. For an initially supercritical flow (Ri0 < 1),
explicit relations are found for u(x), h(x) and η(x) solely as a function of the Richardson number
Ri(x). The longitudinal evolution of the Richardson number is then theoretically obtained from
a universal function F which can be tabulated and, as in the present paper, also plotted. The
function F allows us to determine (and only from the knowledge of the boundary conditions at
the source) whether the flow remains supercritical over the whole length of the rigid boundary, or
might transit towards a subcritical state (Ri > 1). In this latter case, the mathematical resolution
is modified by including a discontinuity similar to a hydraulic jump. The location and amplitude
of this discontinuity are calculated from an additional universal function G and the injection conditions.
The method is finally extended to provide analytical solutions for other classical entrainment
laws.
Domaines
Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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