The structural equilibrium behavior of the general linear second-moment closure model in a stably stratified, spanwise rotating homogeneous shear flow is considered with the aid of bifurcation analysis. A closed form equilibrium solution for the anisotropy tensor aij, dispersion tensor Kij, dimensionless scalar variance q2/k (S/Sθ)2, and the ratio of mean to turbulent time scale ε/Sk is found. The variable of particular interest to bifurcation analysis, ε/Sk is shown as a function of the parameters characterizing the body forces: Ω/S (the ratio of the rotation rate to the mean shear rate) for rotation and Rig (the gradient Richardson number) for buoyancy; it determines the bifurcation surface in the ε/Sk-Ω/S-Ri g space. It is shown, with the use of the closed form solution, that the Isotropization of Production model does not have a real and stable equilibrium solution when rotational and buoyant forces of certain magnitudes are simultaneously imposed on the flow. When this occurs, time integration of the turbulence model results in a diverging solution. A new set of scalar model coefficients that is consistent with experimental data, predicts turbulence decay past the critical gradient Richardson number Ricrg=0.25, and ensures the existence of stable, real solutions for all combinations of rotation and buoyancy is proposed.
- anisotropy,
- bifurcation (mathematics,
- buoyancy,
- mathematical models,
- parameter estimation,
- tensors,
- bifurcation analyses,
- closure models,
- spanwise rotation,
- shear flow,
- equilibrium,
- fluid dynamics,
- rotating flow,
- stratified flow
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/paul_durbin/4/