Decay of velocity fluctuations in a stably stratified suspension

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Abstract

The evolution of velocity fluctuations in a stably stratified suspension settling under the influence of gravity is studied. Based on a continuum model for sedimentation dynamics, decay of long-wave fluctuations in the particle density is found. Substantial reduction in velocity fluctuations is an important consequence. Specifically, the evolution of the particle density in a stably stratified suspension immediately leads to particle distributions, where the variance in the velocity is bounded as the container size grows to infinity. This result is a possible explanation for why velocity fluctuations have been observed to depend on container size in numerical simulations but generally not in physical experiments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1619-1621
Number of pages3
JournalPhysics of Fluids
Volume12
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2000

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Computational Mechanics
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

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