Libration-induced mean flow in a spherical shell

DOI10.1017/JFM.2012.604zbMATH Open1284.76400arXiv1212.1433OpenAlexW3102406641MaRDI QIDQ5406582FDOQ5406582

Authors: Alban Sauret, Stéphane Le Dizès 

Publication date: 1 April 2014

Published in: Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We investigate the flow in a spherical shell subject to a time harmonic oscillation of its rotation rate, also called longitudinal libration, when the oscillation frequency is larger than twice the mean rotation rate. In this frequency regime, no inertial waves are directly excited by harmonic forcing. We show however that it can generate through non-linear interactions in the Ekman layers a strong mean zonal flow in the interior. An analytical theory is developed using a perturbative approach in the limit of small libration amplitude $epsilon$ and small Ekman number $E$. The mean flow is found to be at leading order an azimuthal flow which scales as the square of the libration amplitude and only depends on the cylindrical-radius coordinate. The mean flow also exhibits a discontinuity across the cylinder tangent to the inner sphere. We show that this discontinuity can be smoothed through multi-scale Stewartson layers. The mean flow is also found to possess a weak axial flow which scales as $O(epsilo{n}^2{E}^{5/42})$ in the Stewartson layers. The analytical solution is compared to axisymmetric numerical simulations and a good agreement is demonstrated.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1212.1433

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zbMATH Keywords

boundary layersgeophysical and geological flows

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible viscous fluids (76D05) General theory of rotating fluids (76U05) Asymptotic methods, singular perturbations applied to problems in fluid mechanics (76M45)

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Cited In (23)

• Internal shear layers from librating objects
• Reflection of oscillating internal shear layers: nonlinear corrections
• Spontaneous generation of inertial waves from boundary turbulence in a librating sphere
• Experimental study of the nonlinear saturation of the elliptical instability: inertial wave turbulence versus geostrophic turbulence
• Oscillatory and streaming flow between two spheres due to combined oscillations
• Mean zonal flows generated by librations of a rotating spherical cavity
• Internal shear layers in librating spherical shells: the case of attractors
• Comment to the article ``Mean flow induced by longitudinal libration of a fluid-filled rotating container bounded by two conical surfaces
• On fluid motion in librating ellipsoids with moderate equatorial eccentricity
• Viscous dissipation by tidally forced inertial modes in a rotating spherical shell
• Axisymmetric inertial modes in a spherical shell at low Ekman numbers
• Wave field and zonal flow of a librating disk
• Inertial waves in a spherical shell induced by librations of the inner sphere: experimental and numerical results
• Experimental and numerical study of mean zonal flows generated by librations of a rotating spherical cavity
• Zonal flow induced by longitudinal librations of a rotating cylindrical cavity
• Asymptotic theory of resonant flow in a spheroidal cavity driven by latitudinal libration
• Mean zonal flows induced by weak mechanical forcings in rotating spheroids
• Internal shear layers in librating spherical shells: the case of periodic characteristic paths
• Mean flow generation due to longitudinal librations of sidewalls of a rotating annulus
• Mean flow generation by an intermittently unstable boundary layer over a sloping wall
• Libration-driven inertial waves and mean zonal flows in spherical shells
• Mean flow induced by longitudinal libration of a fluid-filled rotating container bounded by two conical surfaces
• Can zonally symmetric inertial waves drive an oscillating zonal mean flow?

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