Settling and Rising in Stratified Fluids: fluid-structure interactions and multiphase flow

Department of Mathematics

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The fluid dynamics of particles settling and droplets rising is vital to understanding the effect of stratification in marine settings. Whether studying marine snow aggregates settling or oil jets rising, similar small scale dynamics are observed. I will present three different cases of rising and settling in stratified fluids: (1) porous particles settling, (2) oil droplets rising, and (3) dense-core miscible vortex rings settling. Each case has been studied using experiments and by developing models and finding solutions using numerical and analytical techniques. Challenges exist in developing methodology to handle the boundary conditions at fluid-structure and fluid-fluid interfaces. We will present model results which accurately capture experimental data and give insight into the importance of entrainment.