Multimedia Gallery
Density Currents
Density Currents
A visualization of the concentration field in a gravity current computed with direct numerical simulation at Re=9000. Several instabilities observed in experiments can be clearly seen in the figure such as Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices and lobes and clefts forming at the bottom of the current.
Avalanches, oil spills, thunderstorm fronts, or a dust cloud following a building collapse all generate heavier fluid intrusions into a lighter environment. These are called density currents. Engineers study these 3-Dimensional flows--frequently immeasurable due to their destructive power--using mathematical modeling and large scale simulations. These models give engineers a better understanding of the flow's dynamics and turbulent structures and how particles mix and move within it. (Date of Image: May 2006)
Credit: Marcelo Garcia and Mariano Cantero, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; S. Balachandar, University of Florida
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