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At least 55 records · Page 3

A Review of Coastal Fog Microphysics During C-FOG

The goal of this paper is to provide an overview the coastal fog microphysical measurements and to evaluate microphysical parameterizations based on the C-FOG (Toward Improving Coastal Fog Prediction) field project. C-FOG is designed to advance understanding of liquid fog formation, development, and dissipation over coastal environments to improve fog predictability and monitoring. The project took place in Eastern Canada (Nova Scotia, NS and Newfoundland, NL) coastlines and open water environments during August-October of 2018 where environmental conditions play an important role for late season’s fog formation. Visibility (Vis), wind speed (Uh), and turbulence along coastlines are the most critical weather- related parameters affecting marine transportation and aviation. In the analysis, microphysical observations are summarized first and then they are, together with 3D wind components, used for fog intensity (visibility) evaluation. Results suggest that detailed microphysical observations collected at the supersites and aboard Research Vessel (RV) Hugh R. Sharp are useful to develop microphysical parameterizations. The fog life cycle and turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rate were strongly related to each other. The magnitude of 3D wind fluctuations was higher during the formation and dissipation stages. An array of cutting-edge instruments used for data collection provided new insight into the variability and intensity of fog (visibility) and microphysics. It is concluded that further improvements in microphysical observations and parameterizations are needed to improve fog predictability of NWP (Numerical Weather Prediction) models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

From predicting to learning dissipation from pair correlations of active liquids

Active systems, which are driven out of equilibrium by local non-conservative forces, can adopt unique behaviors and configurations. Towards designing such materials, an important challenge is to precisely connect the static structure of active systems to the dissipation of energy induced by the local driving. Here, we use tools from liquid-state theories and machine learning to take on these challenges. We first demonstrate analytically for an isotropic active matter system that dissipation and pair correlations are closely related when driving forces behave like an active temperature. We then extend a nonequilibrium mean-field framework for predicting these pair correlations which, unlike most existing approaches, is applicable even for strongly interacting particles and far from equilibrium, to predict dissipation in these systems. Based on this theory, we reveal analytically a robust relation between dissipation and structure which holds even as the system approaches a nonequilibrium phase transition. Finally, we construct a neural network which maps static configurations of particles to their dissipation rate without any prior knowledge of the underlying dynamics. Furthermore, our results open novel perspectives on the interplay between dissipation and organization out-of-equilibrium.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Toward 1% single-photon anharmonicity with periodically poled lithium niobate microring resonators

The absence of the single-photon nonlinearity has been a major roadblock in developing quantum photonic circuits at optical frequencies. In this paper, we demonstrate a periodically poled thin film lithium niobate microring resonator (PPLNMR) that reaches 5,000,000%/W second-harmonic conversion efficiency—almost 20-fold enhancement over the state-of-the-art—by accessing its largest χ <#comment/> ( 2 ) tensor component d 33 via quasi-phase matching. The corresponding single-photon coupling rate g / 2 π <#comment/> is estimated to be 1.2 MHz, which is an important milestone as it approaches the dissipation rate κ <#comment/> / 2 π <#comment/> of best-available lithium niobate microresonators developed in the community. Using a figure of merit defined as g / κ <#comment/> , our device reaches a single-photon nonlinear anharmonicity approaching 1%. We show that, by further scaling of the device, it is possible to improve the single-photon anharmonicity to a regime where photon blockade effect can be manifested.

Lu, Juanjuan (ORCID:0000000319389119)↗

A buoyancy–shear–drag-based turbulence model for Rayleigh–Taylor, reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and Kelvin–Helmholtz mixing

A phenomenological turbulence model for Rayleigh–Taylor, reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability-induced mixing is developed using a general buoyancy–shear–drag model. Analytic solutions to the simplified model equations corresponding to each instability are derived separately, which are then used to calibrate the model coefficients to predict specific values of the mixing layer growth parameters and exponents. The buoyancy-shear–drag equations for the bubble and spike mixing layer widths are then solved numerically, and a turbulent diffusivity (or viscosity) is constructed dimensionally as the product of the mixing layer width, h, and its time-derivative, dh/dt. Surrogate turbulent fields are then constructed by multiplying a presumed, approximate self-similar spatial profile by appropriate functions of h and dh/dt. Using several simplifying approximations, the turbulent diffusion equations satisfied by the mean mass fraction and mean shear velocity are solved analytically in a reference frame moving with the mean advection velocity, and it is shown that the mean fields evolve in space and time as expected. The explicit modeling and solution of turbulent transport equations (e.g., for the turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate or a lengthscale) are not required. By using separate equations for the bubble and spike evolution, the model naturally captures the asymmetry induced by an increasing density contrast between the heavy and light fluids. The model also includes molecular dissipation and diffusion, and therefore, can describe transition to fully-developed turbulence if the initial turbulent diffusivity/viscosity is much smaller than the molecular diffusivity/viscosity. This model is applied to constant-acceleration Rayleigh–Taylor, impulsively reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov, and variable-density Kelvin–Helmholtz mixing layers to demonstrate its utility. It is shown that the numerical solutions of the model calibrated using specific values of the instability growth parameters and exponents: (1) produces mixing layer widths in agreement with the expected self-similar growth power laws; (2) gives spatiotemporal profiles of turbulent fields that are expected and consistent with previous results; (3) predicts the expected power-law growths and decays of the spatially-integrated turbulent fields, and; (4) gives spatiotemporal profiles of the mean fields that are expected and consistent with previous results. This relatively simple model can be implemented numerically, and is expected to be useful for fundamental as well as astrophysical and inertial confinement fusion applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Adjustments to the law of the wall above an Amazon forest explained by a spectral link

Modification to the law of the wall represented by a dimensionless correction function ϕ RSL (z/h) is derived using atmospheric turbulence measurements collected at two sites in the Amazon in near-neutral stratification, where z is the distance from the forest floor and h is the mean canopy height. The sites are the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory for z/h∈ [1,2.3] and the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon) site for z/h∈ [1,1.4]. Here, a link between the vertical velocity spectrum E ww (k) (k is the longitudinal wavenumber) and ϕ RSL is then established using a co-spectral budget (CSB) model interpreted by the moving-equilibrium hypothesis. The key finding is that ϕ RSL is determined by the ratio of two turbulent viscosities and is given as ν t,BL /ν t,RSL, where ν t,RSL = (1/A)∫$^{∞}_{0}$ τ(k)E ww (k)dk, ν t,BL = k v (z−d)u * , τ(k) is a scale-dependent decorrelation time scale between velocity components, A = C R /(1−C I ) = 4.5 is predicted from the Rotta constant C R = 1.8, and the isotropization of production constant C I = 3/5 given by rapid distortion theory, k v is the von Kármán constant, u * is the friction velocity at the canopy top, and d is the zero-plane displacement. Because the transfer of energy across scales is conserved in E ww (k) and is determined by the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate (ε), the CSB model also predicts that ϕ RSL scales with L BL /L d , where L BL is the length scale of attached eddies to z = d, and L d = u$_{*}^{3}$/ε is a macro-scale dissipation length.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Exploring ship track spreading rates with a physics-informed Langevin particle parameterization

Abstract. The rate at which aerosols spread from a point source injection, such as from a ship or other stationary pollution source, is critical for accurately representing subgrid plume spreading in a climate model. Such climate model results will guide future decisions regarding the feasibility and application of large-scale intentional marine cloud brightening (MCB). Prior modeling studies have shown that the rate at which ship plumes spread may be strongly dependent on meteorological conditions, such as precipitating versus non-precipitating boundary layers and shear. In this study, we apply a Lagrangian particle model (PM-ABL v1.0), governed by a Langevin stochastic differential equation, to create a simplified framework for predicting the rate of spreading from a ship-injected aerosol plume in sheared, precipitating, and non-precipitating boundary layers. The velocity and position of each stochastic particle is predicted with the acceleration of each particle being driven by the turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate, momentum variance, and mean wind. These inputs to the stochastic particle velocity equation are derived from high-fidelity large-eddy simulations (LES) equipped with a prognostic aerosol–cloud microphysics scheme (UW-SAM) to simulate an aerosol injection from a ship into a cloud-topped marine boundary layer. The resulting spreading rate from the reduced-order stochastic model is then compared to the spreading rate in the LES. The stochastic particle velocity representation is shown to reasonably reproduce spreading rates in sheared, precipitating, and non-precipitating cases using domain-averaged turbulent statistics from the LES.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Constraints on the scalar-field potential in warm inflation

In this work, we quantify the degree of fine-tuning required to achieve an observationally viable period of inflation in the strongly dissipative regime of warm inflation. The “fine-tuning” parameter λ is taken to be the ratio of the change in the height of the potential Δ V to the change in the scalar field (ΔΦ) 4 , i.e., the width of the potential, and therefore measures the requisite degree of flatness in the potential. The best motivated warm inflationary scenarios involve a dissipation rate of the kind Γ ∝ T c with c ≥ 0 , and for all such cases, the bounds on λ are tighter than those for standard cold inflation by at least 3 orders of magnitude. In other words, these models require an even flatter potential than standard inflation. On the other hand for the case of warm inflation with c < 0, we find that in a strongly dissipative regime the bound on λ can significantly weaken with respect to cold inflation. Thus, if a warm inflation model can be constructed in a strongly dissipative, negatively temperature-dependent regime, it accommodates steeper potentials otherwise ruled out in standard inflation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Thermal-fluctuation effects on small-scale statistics in turbulent gas flow

Kolmogorov's theory of turbulence assumes that the small-scale turbulent structures in the energy cascade are universal and are determined by the energy dissipation rate and the kinematic viscosity alone. However, thermal fluctuations, absent from the continuum description, terminate the energy cascade near the Kolmogorov length scale. Here, we propose a simple superposition model to account for the effects of thermal fluctuations on small-scale turbulence statistics. Furthermore, for compressible Taylor–Green vortex flow, we demonstrate that the superposition model in conjunction with data from direct numerical simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations yields spectra and structure functions that agree with the corresponding quantities computed from the direct simulation Monte Carlo method of molecular gas dynamics, verifying the importance of thermal fluctuations in the dissipation range.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Strategies for Determining the Cascade Rate in MHD Turbulence: Isotropy, Anisotropy, and Spacecraft Sampling

Exact laws for evaluating cascade rates, tracing back to the Kolmogorov "4/5" law, have been extended to many systems of interest including magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and compressible flows of the magnetofluid and ordinary fluid types. It is understood that implementations may be limited by the quantity of available data and by the lack of turbulence symmetry. Assessment of the accuracy and feasibility of such third-order (or Yaglom) relations is most effectively accomplished by examining the von Kármán–Howarth equation in increment form, a framework from which the third-order laws are derived as asymptotic approximations. Using this approach, we examine the context of third-order laws for incompressible MHD in some detail. The simplest versions rely on the assumption of isotropy and the presence of a well-defined inertial range, while related procedures generalize the same idea to arbitrary rotational symmetries. Conditions for obtaining correct and accurate values of the dissipation rate from these laws based on several sampling and fitting strategies are investigated using results from simulations. The questions we address are of particular relevance to sampling of solar wind turbulence by one or more spacecraft.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Laminar-to-turbulent flame transition and cycle-to-cycle variations in large eddy simulation of spark-ignition engines

This paper investigates the effect of laminar-to-turbulent flame transition modeling on the prediction of cycle-to-cycle variations (CCVs) in large eddy simulation (LES) of spark-ignition (SI) engines. A laminar-to-turbulent flame transition model that describes the non-equilibrium sub-filter flame speed evolution during an early stage of flame kernel growth is developed. In the present model, the flame transition is characterized by the flame kernel size at which the flame transition ends, defined here as the flame transition scale. The proposed model captures the effects that variations in a turbulent flow field have on the evolution of early-stage burning rates, through variations in the flame transition scale. The proposed flame transition model is combined with the front propagation formulation (FPF) method and a spark-ignition model to predict CCVs in a gasoline direct injection SI engine. It is found that multi-cycle LES with the proposed flame transition model reproduces experimentally-observed CCVs satisfactorily. When the transition model is not considered or when variations in the transition process are neglected, CCVs are significantly under-predicted for the case considered here. These results indicate the importance of modeling the laminar-to-turbulent flame transition and the effect of turbulence on the transition process, when predicting CCVs, under certain engine conditions. The LES results are also used to analyze sources for variations in the flame transition. It is found, for the present engine case, that the most important source is the cycle-to-cycle variation in the turbulence dissipation rate, which is used to measure the strength of turbulence in the proposed model, near a spark plug. The large-scale velocity field and the variations of the laminar flame speed due to the mixture composition and thermal stratification are also found to be important factors to contribute to the variations in the flame transition.

42 ENGINEERING↗

High-resolution measurements of microphysics and entrainment in marine stratocumulus clouds

High-resolution measurements from the Airborne Cloud-Turbulence Observation System (ACTOS) during the Azores Stratocumulus Measurements of Radiation, Turbulence and Aerosols (ACORES) campaign are analysed for an investigation of the vertical profiles of microphysical properties and entrainment velocity ( W e ) in marine stratocumulus clouds. Here, the vertical profiles show the transition from the cloudy layer to free troposphere with nearly linear profiles of total water mixing ratio, liquid water potential temperature and virtual potential temperature, but the thickness of entrainment interfacial layer varies significantly. Sharp transitions of cloud microphysical and optical properties within a single horizontal flight leg are found in one stratocumulus cloud system. They seem to be related to the local environmental conditions, such as the wind shear and turbulent dissipation rate. W e values estimated by three methods show consistent tendencies in general and are clearly related to the local environmental conditions, such as vertical shear of the horizontal wind and turbulence intensity. However, the magnitudes of W e values differ by up to two orders of magnitude depending on the methods, which suggests that the estimation of W e from in situ measurements is still a challenge. Analysis of the microphysical response to entrainment suggests that inhomogeneous mixing occurs dominantly. On the other hand, the analysis results for the clouds under more humid conditions indicate a higher likelihood of homogeneous mixing.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Topography-Induced TKE Budget Behavior Over an Amazon Forest

Data from three different heights (35, 50 and 81 m) of one of the ATTO Project towers in the Amazon forest were used to calculate the TKE (turbulence kinetic energy) budget and some other statistics within the RSL (roughness sublayer). The statistical analyses were carried out for unstable and stable cases. The vertical transport and the vertical advection terms do not explain the imbalances found in the TKE budget, highlighting the impor- tance of horizontal terms in complex terrain. Indeed, patterns independent of the time of day were found for vertical transport, horizontal and vertical velocity skewness, the mean vertical component velocity, and momentum and vertical TKE flux. Here, the highest values of mean vertical velocity were observed from the direction where there is a valley near the tower, which may indicate a topographical effect. Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST) predictions for the mean velocity gradient, strictly applicable only in the inertial sublayer (ISL), gave reasonable predictions at 35 and 50 m, but dimensionless dissipation rates displayed large scatter. At 81 m, there were clear deviations from MOST for the two functions, disclosing the effect of topography. In addition, a neutral LES (large-eddy simu- lation) study showed good agreement with tower data for the same general wind direction.

ATTO project↗

Computational diagnostics and characterization of combustion recession in diesel sprays

While low-temperature combustion (LTC) strategies have been found to mitigate nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions in diesel engines, studies have also associated LTC with an increase in unburnt hydrocarbons. With more recent studies on diesel after end-of-injection (AEOI), combustion recession is identified as a phenomenon where at near nozzle region, high-temperature ignition (HTI) combustion can propagate back to the nozzle tip consuming the unburnt hydrocarbons AEOI. Current literature has suggested that combustion recession is controlled by auto-ignition. However, high-fidelity simulations and detailed analysis of such a mechanism are missing. In this study, comprehensive Large Eddy Simulations of a reacting spray at “Spray A” conditions are performed, where detailed analysis of combustion recession concerning flame morphology and propagation modes are included. In particular, this study demonstrated for the first time that while combustion recession is mainly auto-ignition dominated (consistent with the literature), a cool flame was found to deflagrate towards the richer regions of the mixture, promoting mixing and increasing the mixture temperature. This leads to HTI kernels, which then grow and develop as deflagrative waves, therefore sustaining the combustion recession process. The study also detailed the extinction mechanism of combustion: the entrainment wave will overlean the near-nozzle mixtures, rendering it unable to support HTI, which leads to the extinction of the upstream flame AEOI in lower reactivity mixtures. Combustion recession is also observed to be contingent on the chemical and diffusion processes, even at low scalar dissipation rates. Finally, a new criterion for combustion recession based on chemical explosive mode is proposed and validated with previous combustion recession index to quantify the extent of HTI in near-nozzle mixtures AEOI. The newly developed metric combined with a previous experimentally-based metric can provide simple but valuable measurements of the degree and propensity of the upstream flame AEOI.

CEMA↗

Investigation of the ignition processes of a multi-injection flame in a Diesel engine environment using the flamelet model

In this paper, the first flamelet analysis is conducted of a highly resolved DNS of a multi-injection flame with both auto-ignition and ignition induced by flame-flame interaction. A novel method is proposed to identify the different combustion modes of ignition processes using generalized flamelet equations. The state-of-the-art DNS database generated by Rieth et al. (US National Combustion Meeting, 2019) for a multi-injection flame in a Diesel engine environment is investigated. Three-dimensional flamelets are extracted from the DNS at different time instants with a focus on auto-ignition and interaction-ignition processes. The influences of mixture field interactions and the scalar dissipation rate on the ignition process are investigated by varying the species composition boundary conditions of the transient flamelet equations. Budget analyses of the generalized flamelet equations show that the transport along the mixture fraction iso-surface is insignificant during the auto-ignition process, but becomes important when interaction-ignition occurs, which is further confirmed through a flamelet regime classification method.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DNS of ignition and flame stabilization in a simplified gas turbine premixer

With the increasing need for fuel flexibility, mitigation of auto-ignition (AI) inside gas turbine (GT) premixers becomes crucial. They must be designed to yield a sufficiently homogeneous fuel-air mixture to achieve low emissions while at the same time avoiding the occurrence of AI and subsequent flame stabilization. This challenge requires a detailed understanding of turbulent mixing and chemistry interactions. In the present work, a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of an array of jets in crossflow (JICF), representative of an industrial GT premixer, is reported to shed light on these complex phenomena. It is found that AI kernels form in the aft part of the premixer and coalesce into a flame front that then propagates upstream, mainly through the boundary layer, and successively engulfs the jets. This, therefore, suggests a significant role of the jet array pattern on the flame stabilization. It is noted that AI kernels continue to form independently during the whole time of the simulation. To clarify the contribution of AI and diffusion in the ignition kernels and the main flame, chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA) is employed jointly with a kernel tracking algorithm. It is found that during the initial formation of the flame, many ignition kernels form in mixtures with low scalar dissipation rate and large contribution from AI mode. As they quickly grow, they merge into a single flame front that becomes increasingly more diffusion-assisted over time, balancing the AI mode. Turbulence is shown to have a significant enhancing effect in lean premixed flames, but further analysis is required to fully characterize it. These findings are relevant for the industrial premixer studied, and also for novel micromix concepts that may be used in the next generation of GT combustion systems.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Characterizing in-stream turbulent flow for tidal energy converter siting in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Cook Inlet in Alaska is the most promising location for tidal energy development in the U.S. due to its significant tidal range of approximately 10 meters and high volume flux. The inlet's unique geometry and flow characteristics make it the most energetic tidal stream in the nation, with GW-scale potential energy capacity. With the growing interest in tidal energy converter (TEC) deployment in this area, we implemented a regional-scale, 3D hydrodynamic modeling framework to predict tidal current and turbulence characteristics that can assist TEC designers and project managers. We validated the model results extensively using various datasets collected with bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers and velocimeters. The comparison between the model outputs and observational data highlighted the effectiveness of the 3D FVCOM model and the Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5 Turbulence Model in accurately assessing macro-scale kinetic energy, turbulence intensity, and the production and dissipation rates at a prospective TEC site. Using two months of model simulation data, we examined the channel cross-section for TEC deployment, focusing on undisturbed power density and macro-scale turbulent properties. Further, our findings indicate that understanding the turbulence characteristics and flow properties can enhance Stage I/II resource characterization by identifying optimal locations for TECs and their layouts within the channel. Furthermore, we demonstrated that TEC designers can utilize macro-scale turbulence data from 3D coastal models as boundary conditions for other turbulence models, allowing for a more detailed resolution of the turbulence structure at TEC siting locations. Ultimately, this work emphasizes the importance of estimating flow and turbulence conditions in energetic systems to understand turbulent sites better and improve resource characterization.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Implications of inertial subrange scaling for stably stratified mixing

In this work, we investigate the effects of the turbulent dynamic range on active scalar mixing in stably stratified turbulence by adapting the theoretical passive scalar modelling and demonstrating their usefulness through consideration of the results of direct numerical simulations of statistically stationary homogeneous stratified and sheared turbulence. By analysis of inertial and inertial–convective subrange scalings, we show that the relationship between the active scalar and turbulence time scales is predicted by the ratio of the Kolmogorov and Obukhov–Corrsin constants, provided mean flow parameters permit the two subrange scalings to be appropriate approximations. We use the resulting relationship between time scales to parameterise an appropriate turbulent mixing coefficient $\varGamma \equiv \chi /\epsilon$, defined here as the ratio of available potential energy ($E_p$) and turbulent kinetic energy ($E_k$) dissipation rates. With the analysis presented here, we show that $\varGamma$ can be estimated by $E_p,E_k$ and a universal constant provided an appropriate Reynolds number is sufficiently high. This large Reynolds number regime appears here to occur at $ {{Re_b}} \equiv \epsilon / \nu N^{2} \gtrapprox 300$ where $\nu$ is the kinematic viscosity and $N$ is the characteristic buoyancy frequency. We propose a model framework for irreversible diapycnal mixing with robust theoretical parametrisation and asymptotic behaviour in this high-$ {{Re_b}}$ limit.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Low-Reynolds-number oscillating boundary layers on adiabatic slopes

We investigate the instabilities and transition mechanisms of Boussinesq stratified boundary layers on sloping boundaries when subjected to oscillatory body forcing parallel to the slope. We examine idealized forms of boundary layers on hydraulically smooth abyssal slopes in tranquil mid- to low-latitude regions, where low-wavenumber internal tides gently heave isopycnals up and down adiabatic slopes in the absence of mean flows, high-wavenumber internal tides, shelf breaks, resonant tide–bathymetry interactions (critical slopes) and other phenomena associated with turbulence ‘hot spots’. In non-rotating low-Reynolds-number flow, increased stratification on the downslope phase has a relaminarizing effect, while on the upslope phase we find transition-to-turbulence pathways arise from shear production triggered by gravitational instabilities. When rotation is significant (low slope Burger numbers) we find that boundary layer turbulence is sustained throughout the oscillation period, resembling stratified Stokes–Ekman layer turbulence. Simulation results suggest that oscillating boundary layers on smooth slopes at low Reynolds number ($Re\leqslant 840$), unity Prandtl number and slope Burger numbers greater than unity do not cause significant irreversible turbulent buoyancy flux (mixing), and that flat-bottom dissipation rate models derived from the tide amplitude are accurate within an order of magnitude.

42 ENGINEERING↗