Motion of a sphere in a viscous density stratified fluid

TL;DR

This study analyzes the flow and density fields around a sphere moving in a viscous, stably stratified fluid at low Reynolds and Richardson numbers, emphasizing the effects of buoyancy and stratification in the convection dominant limit.

Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization of the velocity and density fields in the Stokes stratification regime, highlighting the transition from symmetric to asymmetric flow patterns due to buoyancy effects.

Findings

Flow transforms from symmetric to asymmetric with recirculating cells.

Stratification screening length scales as $aRi_v^{-1/3}$.

Large distances feature a horizontal wake and buoyant reverse jet.

Abstract

We examine the translation of a sphere in a stably stratified ambient in the limit of small Reynolds ($Re \ll 1$) and viscous Richardson numbers ($Ri_v \ll 1$); here, $Re = \frac{\rho Ua}{\mu}$ and $Ri_v = \frac{\gamma a^3 g}{\mu U}$ with $a$ being the sphere radius, $U$ the translation speed, $\rho$ and $\mu$ the density and viscosity of the stratified ambient, $g$ the acceleration due to gravity, and $\gamma$ the density gradient (assumed constant) characterizing the ambient stratification. In contrast to most earlier efforts, our study considers the convection dominant limit corresponding to $Pe = \frac{Ua}{D} \gg 1$, $D$ being the diffusivity of the stratifying agent. We characterize in detail the velocity and density fields around the particle in what we term the Stokes stratification regime, defined by $Re \ll Ri_v^{\frac{1}{3}} \ll 1$, and corresponding to the dominance of buoyancy over inertial forces. Buoyancy forces associated with the perturbed stratification fundamentally alter the viscously dominated fluid motion at large distances. At distances of order the stratification screening length, that scales as $aRi_v^{-\frac{1}{3}}$, the motion transforms from the familiar fore-aft symmetric Stokesian form to a fore-aft asymmetric pattern of recirculating cells with primarily horizontal motion within; except in the vicinity of the rear stagnation streamline. At larger distances, the motion is vanishingly small except within (a) an axisymmetric horizontal wake whose vertical extent grows as $O(r_t^{\frac{2}{5}})$, $r_t$ being the distance in the plane perpendicular to translation and (b) a buoyant reverse jet behind the particle that narrows as the inverse square root of distance downstream.