22 research outputs found
Energy- and flux-budget (EFB) turbulence closure model for the stably stratified flows. Part I: Steady-state, homogeneous regimes
We propose a new turbulence closure model based on the budget equations for
the key second moments: turbulent kinetic and potential energies: TKE and TPE
(comprising the turbulent total energy: TTE = TKE + TPE) and vertical turbulent
fluxes of momentum and buoyancy (proportional to potential temperature).
Besides the concept of TTE, we take into account the non-gradient correction to
the traditional buoyancy flux formulation. The proposed model grants the
existence of turbulence at any gradient Richardson number, Ri. Instead of its
critical value separating - as usually assumed - the turbulent and the laminar
regimes, it reveals a transition interval, 0.1< Ri <1, which separates two
regimes of essentially different nature but both turbulent: strong turbulence
at Ri<<1; and weak turbulence, capable of transporting momentum but much less
efficient in transporting heat, at Ri>1. Predictions from this model are
consistent with available data from atmospheric and lab experiments, direct
numerical simulation (DNS) and large-eddy simulation (LES).Comment: 40 pages, 6 figures, Boundary-layer Meteorology, resubmitted, revised
versio
The Critical Richardson Number and Limits of Applicability of Local Similarity Theory in the Stable Boundary Layer
Measurements of atmospheric turbulence made over the Arctic pack ice during
the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean experiment (SHEBA) are used to
determine the limits of applicability of Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (in
the local scaling formulation) in the stable atmospheric boundary layer. Based
on the spectral analysis of wind velocity and air temperature fluctuations, it
is shown that, when both of the gradient Richardson number, Ri, and the flux
Richardson number, Rf, exceed a 'critical value' of about 0.20 - 0.25, the
inertial subrange associated with the Richardson-Kolmogorov cascade dies out
and vertical turbulent fluxes become small. Some small-scale turbulence
survives even in this supercritical regime, but this is non-Kolmogorov
turbulence, and it decays rapidly with further increasing stability. Similarity
theory is based on the turbulent fluxes in the high-frequency part of the
spectra that are associated with energy-containing/flux-carrying eddies.
Spectral densities in this high-frequency band diminish as the
Richardson-Kolmogorov energy cascade weakens; therefore, the applicability of
local Monin-Obukhov similarity theory in stable conditions is limited by the
inequalities Ri < Ri_cr and Rf < Rf_cr. However, it is found that Rf_cr = 0.20
- 0.25 is a primary threshold for applicability. Applying this prerequisite
shows that the data follow classical Monin-Obukhov local z-less predictions
after the irrelevant cases (turbulence without the Richardson-Kolmogorov
cascade) have been filtered out.Comment: Boundary-Layer Meteorology (Manuscript submitted: 16 February 2012;
Accepted: 10 September 2012
Six-minute walk test and respiratory muscle strength in patients with uncontrolled severe asthma: a pilot study
Rationalizing cellulose (in)solubility: reviewing basic physicochemical aspects and role of hydrophobic interactions
Despite being the world's most abundant natural polymer and one of the most studied, cellulose is still challenging researchers. Cellulose is known to be insoluble in water and in many organic solvents, but can be dissolved in a number of solvents of intermediate properties, like N-methylmorpholine N-oxide and ionic liquids which, apparently, are not related. It can also be dissolved in water at extreme pHs, in particular if a cosolute of intermediate polarity is added. The insolubility in water is often referred to strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding between cellulose molecules. Revisiting some fundamental polymer physicochemical aspects (i.e. intermolecular interactions) a different picture is now revealed: cellulose is significantly amphiphilic and hydrophobic interactions are important to understand its solubility pattern. In this paper we try to provide a basis for developing novel solvents for cellulose based on a critical analysis of the intermolecular interactions involved and mechanisms of dissolution