Influence of Horizontal Crossflow on the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability: A Numerical Approach

Year : 2025 | Volume : 14 | Issue : 01 | Page : 1-11
    By

    basant Kumar rana,

  • Rakesh Roshan Apatta,

  • Santosh Kumar Panda,

  • Jnana Ranjan Senapati,

Abstract

Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (RTI) is a typical occurrence in natural events, engineering, and industrial applications. When the lighter fluid (bottom medium) is forcing the heavier fluid (top medium) on top of the lighter fluid because of a gravitational field, then that phenomenon is called Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI). Despite extensive records of investigating this common phenomenon i.e., RTI with several unique boundary conditions, apparently, there are no prior investigations for the RTI with horizontal crossflow effect. In this paper, numerical simulations have been performed using volume of fluid (VOF) method for the reorientation of the interface. Here, we have chosen an open-source Gerri’s software for this RTI phenomenon to execute all the investigations. In this situation, the physical boundary that permits the exchange of certain entities between two phases (lighter and heavier fluid) is known as the interface. The region where it primarily emerges is the layer of stability between phases that permits the progressive transmission of constrained entities established as the result of an emphasis on the dominant influence. This study reveals how the horizontal crossflow of the top medium, which is a heavier fluid, as well as the density ratio  established deviations in the complex interfacial structures. Horizontal crossflow of the upper layer (heavier fluid) has been expressed by the non-dimensional number, Reynolds number . The variation in the vertical  and angular positions  of the spike from the initial undisturbed interface is also a topic of this present investigation. To examine the flow patterns closer to the interface, we displayed velocity vector diagrams for various combinations of Reynolds number  and density ratio .

Keywords: Rayleigh-Taylor instability, spike, horizontal crossflow, Reynolds number, density ratio

[This article belongs to Research & Reviews : Journal of Physics ]

How to cite this article:
basant Kumar rana, Rakesh Roshan Apatta, Santosh Kumar Panda, Jnana Ranjan Senapati. Influence of Horizontal Crossflow on the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability: A Numerical Approach. Research & Reviews : Journal of Physics. 2025; 14(01):1-11.
How to cite this URL:
basant Kumar rana, Rakesh Roshan Apatta, Santosh Kumar Panda, Jnana Ranjan Senapati. Influence of Horizontal Crossflow on the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability: A Numerical Approach. Research & Reviews : Journal of Physics. 2025; 14(01):1-11. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rrjophy/article=2025/view=207207


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Regular Issue Subscription Review Article
Volume 14
Issue 01
Received 05/02/2025
Accepted 10/02/2025
Published 14/04/2025
Publication Time 68 Days


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