This paper considers the effect of continuous convection from small sources of buoyancy on the properties of the environment when the region of interest is bounded. The main assumptions are that the entrainment into the turbulent buoyant region is at a rate proportional to the local mean upward velocity, and that the buoyant elements spread out at the top of the region and become part of the non-turbulent environment at that level. Asymptotic solutions, valid at large times, are obtained for the cases of plumes from point and line sources and also periodically released thermals. These all have the properties that the environment is stably stratified, with the density profile fixed in shape, changing at a uniform rate in time at all levels, and everywhere descending (with ascending buoyant elements).The analysis is carried out in detail for the point source in an environment of constant cross-section. Laboratory experiments have been conducted for this case, and these verify the major predictions of the theory. It is then shown how the method can be extended to include more realistic starting conditions for the convection, and a general shape of bounded environment. Finally, the model is applied quantitatively to a variety of problems in engineering, the atmosphere and the ocean, and the limitations on its use are discussed.

The flow and density distribution produced by injecting dense fluid upwards at the bottom of a homogeneous fluid have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Both axisymmetric and line sources have been studied using small-scale laboratory experiments in which salt water is injected into a tank of fresh water. The turbulent fountain formed in this way rises to a maximum height which can be related to the Froude number of the inflow, and then falls back and spreads out along the floor. Continuing the inflow builds up a stable stratification in a similar manner to that discussed earlier for the ‘plume filling box model’ of Baines & Turner (1969) which is complementary to the present work. The fountain flows considered here have the important new feature that the volume of the inflow is significant, so the total volume of fluid in the ‘open’ container increases with time. The evolution is determined by the rate of entrainment into the fountain from its surroundings, which is found directly by experiment. Re-entrainment of fluid into the fountain continually changes the density profile in the mixed fluid collecting at the bottom of the chamber below the level of the fountain top, and controls the rate of rise of a ‘front’ of marked fluid. The top of the fountain rises linearly in time, at a rate which, for axisymmetric fountains, has been shown both experimentally and theoretically to be close to half the rate of rise of the free surface due to the inflow. Thus at a certain time the front rises above the top of the fountain. Once the mixed fluid at the bottom of the chamber has risen above the fountain its density profile remains unchanged. The front velocity, the fountain height and the density profile have all been obtained as functions of time using a theory which is in good agreement with the experimental results for a large range of input Froude numbers. For line fountains the results are less precise owing to an instability which causes the flow to switch irregularly from a symmetrical state to one in which the downflow occurs on one side only, and with a smaller maximum height. In concluding we discuss the applications which motivated the work, particularly the development of a stratified hybrid layer in magma chambers replenished from below, and the dynamically identical, but inverted problem of heating large buildings through ducts located near the roof.

Secondary flows in non-circular ducts are accompanied by a longitudinal component of vorticity. The equation of motion defining this component in a turbulent flow is composed of three terms giving the rates of production, diffusion and convection. Since the expression for production is the second derivative of Reynolds strees components, longitudinal vorticity cannot exist in laminar flow. For turbulent flow in a square duct the Reynolds stress tensor is examined in detail. Symmetry requirements alone provide relationships showing that the production is zero along all lines of symmetry. General characteristics of flow in circular pipes are sufficient to indicate where the production must be greatest. Experimental measurements verify this result and define the point density of production, diffusion and convection of vorticity. Data also indicate that the basic pattern of secondary flow is independent of Reynolds number, but that with increasing values of Reynolds number the flows penetrate the corners and approach the walls. A similar experimental investigation of a rectangular duct shows that the corner bisectors separate independent secondary flow circulation zones. Production of vorticity is again associated with the region near the bisector. However, there is some evidence that the secondary flow pattern is not so complex as inferred from the distortion of the main longitudinal flow.

The flow of a jet directed normal to a uniform, steady cross-wind is considered. Experimental results show that for various jet strengths, the position of the jet in space, when stretched by the ratio of jet to cross-wind momenta, is described by a single function. Exceptions exist at very low velocity ratios where a shift of the potential core is evident. A natural system of axes is used to define important directions of the flow. The integrated equation of motion along the primary jet flow direction is made dimensionless after the general method of Morton (1961) and a virtual source is defined for the flow. It is shown that a single functional behaviour of the axial jet velocity exists for various velocity ratios if the jet is considered to originate from this source. Lateral velocity profiles show a similarity when scaled by appropriate lengths and velocities but true self-preservation is not attained.