Efficient mixing in stratified flows

What is it about?

Using laboratory experiments of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, we show that mixing in stratified flows can be very efficient. These experiments have mixing efficiencies higher than 70%, much larger than has previously been observed. Mixing efficiency is the proportion of energy available for mixing a flow that is used in mixing, rather than being dissipated by viscosity.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

It is often assumed that mixing efficiency is small (on the order of 20%). In the experiments presented here, we show much higher mixing efficiencies are possible. It is important people realised that a large range of mixing efficiencies are possible if we are to model turbulent stratified mixing in a variety of situations.