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Subcritical Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a Hele-Shaw cell
L Meignin1, P Gondret, C Ruyer-Quil
1Laboratoire Fluides, Automatique et Systèmes Thermiques, Universités Paris-Sud and P. & M. Curie, Bâtiment 502, Campus Universitaire, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Physical Review Letters
|July 15, 2003
Summary
This study explores the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in gas-liquid flows, identifying the subcritical curve that distinguishes stable interfaces from nonlinear waves. Experimental data aligns with a complex Ginzburg-Landau model.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Instability phenomena
Background:
- The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is crucial in various fluid systems.
- Understanding its subcritical behavior is key to predicting complex flow patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the subcritical regime of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.
- To determine the curve separating stable and unstable interface solutions.
- To model the experimental findings using a Ginzburg-Landau equation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a Hele-Shaw cell for gas-liquid shearing flow experiments.
- Analyzing the interface dynamics to identify the subcritical transition.
- Fitting experimental data to a fifth-order complex Ginzburg-Landau equation.
Main Results:
- The subcritical curve for the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability was experimentally mapped.
- A transition from a stable plane interface to a nonlinear wave train was observed.
- The experimental results were successfully modeled by the Ginzburg-Landau equation.
Conclusions:
- The study provides experimental validation for the subcritical behavior of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.
- The complex Ginzburg-Landau equation effectively describes the observed nonlinear wave phenomena.
- Linear coefficients from the model show good agreement with theoretical predictions.
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