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Some turbulent diffusion invariants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2006

P. C. Chatwin
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Liverpool
Paul J. Sullivan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Western Ontario

Abstract

In view of the importance of concentration fluctuations in practical and theoretical problems of turbulent diffusion, there are presented here some invariant properties of the distribution of fluctuations associated with a cloud of contaminant containing a finite quantity Q of material. These properties are invariant provided only that Q is conserved, no assumption whatsoever being made about the random turbulent velocity field. Consequences of the results for (i) steady plumes, (ii) the representation of the distribution of concentration by series of (generalized) Hermite polynomials, and (iii) the relationship of the ensemble mean concentration with the distance–neighbour function, are discussed using experimental evidence.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1980 Cambridge University Press

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