A parameter study of strato-rotational low-frequency modulations: impacts on momentum transfer and energy distribution

Abstract

Previous comparisons of experimental data with nonlinear numerical simulations of density stratified Taylor–Couette (TC) flows revealed nonlinear interactions of strato-rotational instability (SRI) modes that lead to periodic changes in the SRI spirals and their axial propagation. These pattern changes are associated with low-frequency velocity modulations that are related to the dynamics of two competing spiral wave modes propagating in opposite directions. In the present paper, a parameter study of the SRI is performed using direct numerical simulations to evaluate the influence of the Reynolds numbers, the stratification, and of the container geometry on these SRI low-frequency modulations and spiral pattern changes. The results of this parameter study show that the modulations can be considered as a secondary instability that are not observed for all SRI unstable regimes. The findings are of interest when the TC model is related to star formation processes in accretion discs. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Taylor–Couette and related flows on the centennial of Taylor’s seminal Philosophical Transactions paper (part 2)’.

New Laboratory Experiments to Study the Large-Scale Circulation and Climate Dynamics

“…To take advantage of modern generation computing hardware, a scalable numerical method, based on a higher-order compact scheme, has been developed to solve rotating stratified flows in cylindrical annular domains [44]. This code was successfully applied to study stratorotational instability [45] but also to simulate baroclinic instability using the geometry and the parameters of the large BTU tank.…”