Direct Numerical Simulation of the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability with the Spectral Element Method

摘要

A novel method is proposed to simulate Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities using a specially-developed unsteady threedimensional high-order spectral element method code.The numerical model used consists of Navier-Stokes equations and a transport-diffusive equation.The code is first validated with the results of linear stability perturbation theory.Then several characteristics of the Rayleigh-Taylor instabjJjties are studied using this three-dimensional unsteady code,inducling instantaneous turbulent structures and statistical turbulent mixing heights under different initial wave numbers.These results indicate that turbulent structures ofRayleigh-Taylor instabilities are strongly dependent on the initial conditions.The results also suggest that a high-order numerical method should provide the capability of sir.ulating small scale fluctuations of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities of turbulent flows.