David Hendel, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill


Entraining a Vertical Column of Fluid

Abstract: Moving boundaries can create and maintain vertical layering of density. In this experiment we tow a fiber vertically through a stably stratified fluid in order to create a flow pattern in which density is layered vertically. We use corn syrup stratified with salt to create a stable stratification. When the fiber is towed through the interface, the high-density fluid becomes entrained by the moving boundary and forms a vertical column. The column eventually grows to a steady size at which point it is nearly uniform in the vertical direction throughout a large portion of the domain. The diameter of the column depends on the towing speed of the fiber, as well as the hydrodynamic parameters, such as the viscosity and the density difference. In the lower region of the domain, there forms a strongly curved interface as the column approaches steady state. This experiment was designed to evaluate the stability of vertically layered flows, which is still under investigation. The aim of this poster is to visually demonstrate the induced flow pattern and its time evolution.

Mentor: Rich McLaughlin