Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Turbulent Flow01:24

Turbulent Flow

465
Turbulent flow is characterized by unpredictable fluctuations in velocity and pressure, which result in a chaotic fluid movement distinct from the orderly patterns of laminar flow. While laminar flow is governed by smooth, parallel layers with minimal mixing, turbulent flow exhibits highly irregular, three-dimensional patterns. This behavior arises due to instabilities in the fluid's velocity profile, and amplifies as the flow velocity increases. Minor disturbances, known as turbulent...
465
Dimensionless Groups in Fluid Mechanics01:15

Dimensionless Groups in Fluid Mechanics

600
Dimensionless groups in fluid mechanics provide simplified ratios that help analyze fluid behavior without relying on specific units. The Reynolds number (Re), which represents the ratio of inertial to viscous forces, distinguishes between laminar and turbulent flows, making it essential in the design of pipelines and aerodynamic surfaces. The Froude number (Fr), the ratio of inertial to gravitational forces, is particularly useful in predicting wave formation and hydraulic jumps in...
600
Turbulent Flow: Problem Solving01:09

Turbulent Flow: Problem Solving

264
Carbonation is a process used to dissolve carbon dioxide gas in a liquid, commonly used in the production of carbonated beverages. Achieving efficient carbonation requires careful control of temperature, pressure, and flow conditions. By adjusting these parameters, carbonation efficiency can be maximized, producing a higher concentration of CO2 in the liquid.
Temperature is a key factor in CO2 solubility. In this case, the CO2 gas and the liquid are cooled to 20°C. Lower temperatures enhance...
264
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion II01:19

Routh-Hurwitz Criterion II

610
In the application of the Routh-Hurwitz criterion, two specific scenarios can arise that complicate stability analysis.
The first scenario occurs when a singular zero appears in the first column of the Routh table. This situation creates a division by zero issues. To resolve this, a small positive or negative number, denoted as epsilon (∈), is substituted for the zero. The stability analysis proceeds by assuming a sign for ∈. If ∈ is positive, any sign change in the first...
610
Mixing Concrete01:30

Mixing Concrete

227
Concrete mixing ensures a homogenous blend where aggregates are well-coated with cement paste. Concrete mixing is typically done using two main types of mixers: batch and continuous. Batch mixers handle one batch at a time, thoroughly combining materials before discharging and receiving the next batch. In contrast, continuous mixers receive a steady flow of ingredients, mixing them consistently and discharging without interruption. Within batch mixers, tilting drum mixers mix with internal...
227
Laminar and Turbulent Flow01:07

Laminar and Turbulent Flow

9.9K
Fluid dynamics is the study of fluids in motion. Velocity vectors are often used to illustrate fluid motion in applications like meteorology. For example, wind—the fluid motion of air in the atmosphere—can be represented by vectors indicating the speed and direction of the wind at any given point on a map. Another method for representing fluid motion is a streamline. A streamline represents the path of a small volume of fluid as it flows. When the flow pattern changes with time, the...
9.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Superstatistics approach to turbulent circulation fluctuations.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Turbulence without Walls: Whither the Zeroth Law of Turbulence?

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Hierarchical network of thermal plumes and their dynamics in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Bounded dissipation law and profiles of turbulent velocity moments in wall flows.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Twisting vortex lines regularize Navier-Stokes turbulence.

Science advances·2024
Same author

First-principles calculation of Hubbard<i>U</i>for Terbium metal under high pressure.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Analyzing Mixing Inhomogeneity in a Microfluidic Device by Microscale Schlieren Technique
10:12

Analyzing Mixing Inhomogeneity in a Microfluidic Device by Microscale Schlieren Technique

Published on: June 12, 2015

9.3K

Turbulence is an Ineffective Mixer when Schmidt Numbers Are Large.

Dhawal Buaria1, Matthew P Clay2, Katepalli R Sreenivasan1,3

  • 1Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, New York 11201, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|March 5, 2021
PubMed
Summary

High Schmidt numbers reveal turbulence is an ineffective mixer. Scalar dissipation decreases with increasing Schmidt numbers, indicating reduced mixing efficiency in fluid dynamics simulations.

More Related Videos

Simultaneous Measurement of Turbulence and Particle Kinematics Using Flow Imaging Techniques
10:53

Simultaneous Measurement of Turbulence and Particle Kinematics Using Flow Imaging Techniques

Published on: March 12, 2019

7.3K
Quantifying Mixing using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
07:33

Quantifying Mixing using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: January 25, 2012

11.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Analyzing Mixing Inhomogeneity in a Microfluidic Device by Microscale Schlieren Technique
10:12

Analyzing Mixing Inhomogeneity in a Microfluidic Device by Microscale Schlieren Technique

Published on: June 12, 2015

9.3K
Simultaneous Measurement of Turbulence and Particle Kinematics Using Flow Imaging Techniques
10:53

Simultaneous Measurement of Turbulence and Particle Kinematics Using Flow Imaging Techniques

Published on: March 12, 2019

7.3K
Quantifying Mixing using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
07:33

Quantifying Mixing using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: January 25, 2012

11.2K

Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Turbulence research
  • Scalar transport

Background:

  • Understanding passive scalar transport in turbulent flows is crucial for various scientific and engineering applications.
  • The interplay between turbulence and molecular diffusion governs mixing processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of high Schmidt numbers on the mixing efficiency of passive scalars in turbulent flows.
  • To analyze the behavior of scalar dissipation and structure functions under varying turbulence and diffusivity conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Direct numerical simulations of the 3D Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the advection-diffusion equation.
  • Simulations were performed in large periodic domains (up to 8192^3) across a range of Taylor-scale Reynolds numbers (140-650) and Schmidt numbers (1-512).

Main Results:

  • Turbulence becomes an ineffective mixer at high Schmidt numbers (Sc).
  • The mean scalar dissipation rate non-dimensionalized by D decreases as 1/logSc.
  • Analysis revealed increasing density of sharp scalar fronts, reduced mixing, and weakening scalar variance flux across scales at high Sc.
  • Scalar structure function exponents saturate with moment order, approaching unity as Sc increases.

Conclusions:

  • High Schmidt numbers significantly impair the mixing capabilities of turbulence.
  • The observed phenomena suggest a breakdown of efficient scalar mixing as molecular diffusion becomes dominant over turbulent eddies.