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Microburst modelling and scaling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

T. S. Lundgren ,
J. Yao  and
N. N. Mansour
T. S. Lundgren
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
J. Yao
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
N. N. Mansour
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
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Abstract

A microburst can be modelled by releasing a volume of fluid that is slightly heavier than the ambient fluid, allowing it to fall onto a horizontal surface. Vorticity develops on the sides of this parcel as it descends and causes it to roll up into a turbulent vortex ring which impinges on the ground. Such a model exhibits many of the features of naturally occurring microbursts which are a hazard to aviation. In this paper this model is achieved experimentally by releasing a volume of salt water into fresh water from a cylindrical dispenser. When care is taken with the release the spreading rate of the surface outflow is measurable and quite repeatable despite the fact that the flow is turbulent. An elementary numerical approximation to this model, based on inviscid vortex dynamics, has also been developed. A scaling law is proposed which allows experiments with different fluid densities to be compared with each other and with the numerical results. More importantly the scaling law allows us to compare the model results with real microbursts.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 239 , June 1992 , pp. 461 - 488
Copyright
© 1992 Cambridge University Press

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