Numerical simulation of a thermally stratified shear layer using the vortex element method

Abstract In computing the development of an unstable inviscid shear layer, it is found that using a fixed number of vortex elements can lead to large errors due to the strong strain field which develops and acts to distort the original vorticity contours. It is suggested that the vorticity should be redistributed among elements which are arranged in the local: principal direction of strain in order to capture this distortion accurately. Mixing within an initially stratified layer, which results from the combined action of convection and diffusion, is computed using a similar scheme to integrate the energy equation. Calculations illustrate the evolution of the temperature profile during the growth of the instability.

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