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On the vertical transport due to fingers in double diffusive convection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

R. B. Lambert  and
J. W. Demenkow
R. B. Lambert
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
J. W. Demenkow
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
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Abstract

Salt fingering across a density interface produced by sugar and salt is investigated experimentally for varying values of initial concentrations and for times sufficiently long to observe the régimes of growth, equilibrium and final decay. Simultaneous measurements of sugar and salt concentrations and interface geometry are made. Calculations based on Stern's collective instability model allow explicit evaluation of the coefficients of the $\frac{4}{3}$-law for the sugar flux in the form suggested by Stern & Turner (1969) for the equilibrium régime. The results are verified by the experimental data. Predictions of the finger wavelengths from this model are in general agreement with the results of previous authors, while the flux-law coefficient is an order of magnitude smaller. It is concluded that the collective instability mechanism is an adequate physical description of the salt-finger mechanism.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 54 , Issue 4 , 22 August 1972 , pp. 627 - 640
Copyright
© 1972 Cambridge University Press

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