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| GRAVITY-DRIVEN
CURRENTS WITH LOSS OR/AND GAIN OF MASS |
| Project: 03/C125 |
| Director:
Dr. Luis P. Thomas, Grupo de Flujos Geofísicos y Aplicaciones, IFAS |
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| Gravity currents are produced
when fluid of one density is released into fluid of a different density
at a horizontal boundary, and the motion is driven by gravitational
forces. These currents originate in many natural and man-made situations,
presenting common features independent of the fluids. Thus different
real situations can be studied in laboratory by means of relatively
simple experiments varying only some physical parameters. In this
project we study the dynamics of the gravity currents with variable
mass, including the cases with loss of mass (current on permeable
beds) and incorporation of mass (avalanches, avalanches, turbidity
currents). Natural flows are scaled at laboratory experiments according
to fluid dynamics similarity criteria. The currents are generated
releasing fixed volumes of salt water from behind a lock into a large
rectangular cross sectional channel of lighter fluid and above a permeable
substrate. A modern image processing system is used to determine quantitatively
the distributions of density and fluid velocity. The results are interpreted
by means of theoretical models and compared with data coming from
natural events and numerical simulations. The knowledge so obtained
may be applied to flows in estuaries and sea currents on permeable
beds, accidental denser-than-air gas spills in the atmosphere, sediment
discharges in lakes and estuaries, dust, rocks or snow avalanches,
and volcanic flows. |
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| http://www.exa.unicen.edu.ar/ifas/geo-fluidodin.html |
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