Abstract
A study was conducted on three generic vortex ring configurations and found that in all cases the rings reconnect. In addition, an intensification of dissipation which was local in time and could be a mechanism contributing to turbulence intermittency was observed. Thus, a by-product of reconnection was the formation of stretched structures with antiparallel vorticity which transfer energy to the smallest scales where it was rapidly dissipated. Without this energy redistribution in wave number space the decay of global kinetic energy would be slower.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 054501 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 90 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Feb 2003 |
Keywords
- algorithms
- computational fluid dynamics
- graph theory
- incompressible flow
- integral equations
- Navier-Stokes equations
- Reynolds number
- three dimensional
- turbulence
- viscosity of liquids
- viscous flow
- Kelvin waves
- stretched antiparallel vorticity
- three dimensional incompressible viscous flow
- vortex rings
- vortex flow
Cite this
Chatelain, P., Kivotides, D., & Leonard, A. (2003). Reconnection of colliding vortex rings. Physical Review Letters, 90(5), 1-4. [054501].