Environmental Fluid Dynamics
Will be published approx. on 6. December 2030
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-4051-8620-9 (ISBN)
Description
There has been a tremendous growth of interest in the study of fluid dynamics in the Earth, marine, atmospheric and environmental sciences community in the past couple of decades. Part of this interest has been stimulated by the taking out and application of what once tended to be a theoretical, highly mathematical and statistical science, part of applied mathematics, into many diverse field situations and environmental problem areas that often require practical solutions by natural scientists in limited time. Other reasons are the tremendous breakthroughs made in fluid dynamical measurement and monitoring made possible by remote flow monitoring, robust microelectronics and cheap, superfast computers. For example it is now possible to obtain and process very detailed and precise 3D turbulence data, undisturbed by instrumental artifices, in both pure experimental and natural 'dirty' flows, revealing details of flow structure and sediment movement that were undreamt of a decade ago.
Yet the subject of physical fluid dynamics has traditionally been seen as 'difficult' by generations of engineering, physics and mathematical students (in a gathering of eminent, 60-something, cosmic ray physicists it was opined to be the most difficult subject experienced during student days) and well nigh impossible by most others. Some of the difficulties are indeed real, for the subject requires careful development and some deep insights into fluid physics. But others are merely apparent, due in large part to the mastery required of advanced mathematics before physical reality is evident in the outcome. Talented mathematical physicists and applied mathematicians will continue to examine fluids from their special points of view. However, it is the very large constituency of often only moderately mathematically-talented (or even only moderately-interested) Earth and environmental sciences students whom we must reach: they have come to University to study the real world in which fluid flows happen and in which they have to monitor, study and predict the impact of environmental flows on society.
This requires the subject to be taught by its characteristics in the round, not just by the application of clever mathematics to a narrow area. Often in such cases it is the descriptive appearance of a particular flow that first excites the attention of the student or environmental practitioner, rather than to its immediate translation into a differential equation. Hence there is a key role to be played by experimental flow visualisation in introducing the nature of the flow processes that can subsequently be analysed physically and dynamically with appropriate mathematics and physics
Yet the subject of physical fluid dynamics has traditionally been seen as 'difficult' by generations of engineering, physics and mathematical students (in a gathering of eminent, 60-something, cosmic ray physicists it was opined to be the most difficult subject experienced during student days) and well nigh impossible by most others. Some of the difficulties are indeed real, for the subject requires careful development and some deep insights into fluid physics. But others are merely apparent, due in large part to the mastery required of advanced mathematics before physical reality is evident in the outcome. Talented mathematical physicists and applied mathematicians will continue to examine fluids from their special points of view. However, it is the very large constituency of often only moderately mathematically-talented (or even only moderately-interested) Earth and environmental sciences students whom we must reach: they have come to University to study the real world in which fluid flows happen and in which they have to monitor, study and predict the impact of environmental flows on society.
This requires the subject to be taught by its characteristics in the round, not just by the application of clever mathematics to a narrow area. Often in such cases it is the descriptive appearance of a particular flow that first excites the attention of the student or environmental practitioner, rather than to its immediate translation into a differential equation. Hence there is a key role to be played by experimental flow visualisation in introducing the nature of the flow processes that can subsequently be analysed physically and dynamically with appropriate mathematics and physics
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicester
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-1-4051-8620-9 (9781405186209)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Professor Jim Best, School of Geology and Geography and Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA Professor Mike Leeder, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK
Content
Chapter 1: Fluids in Environmental Systems (15+ pp JB). . A general introduction to show the huge scope of the subject, including interplanetary environments (Mars, Venus, Triton etc). Applications of a knowledge of environmental fluid dynamics. Plenty of photos. No maths or physics. Just asking the right questions initially. Chapter 2 Material properties and statics (15 pp ML). Fluid definitions and properties including density, viscosity, thermal properties, thermal quantities and the transfer of thermal energy by convecting flows. Compressible/incompressible flows. Chapter 3 Flow Kinematics and Visualisation Techniques (30 pp JB). Pure motion, no dynamics yet, its natural aspects (suspensions, smokes) and how to visualise it experimentally in the lab (bubbles, refractograms, suspensions etc). Streamlines, streamtubes, streaklines etc. Steadiness/unsteadiness and uniform/non-uniform flow concepts. Mass continuity and conservation. Potential flow, flow nets, lines, potentials, functions etc. Chapter 4 Flows: Forces and Dynamics (30 pp ML). Nature of forces, acceleration. Pressure and Bernoulli. All the relevant forces for straight line, curved and rotating natural flows (special attention to Coriolis and vorticity conservation in the latter). The substantive acceleration term. The development of the Navier Stokes equations in easy steps and their solution in principle. Chapter 5 Magic Numbers: Flow Types and Rheology (20 pp JB). Nature of dimensionless numbers. The Reynolds and Froude Numbers for isothermal flows. Prandtl, Peclet, Richardson, Nusselt, Savage, Rayleigh Numbers for thermal flows. Newtonian v. non-Newtonian etc. Chapter 6 Flow Monitoring and Measurement (40 pp JB). All the latest non-intrusive techniques, particularly those for measuring 3D turbulence and field kit, with generous illustrations and examples. Including: In Lab: Constant Temperature Anemometry, Laser and Phase Doppler Anemometry, Ultrasonic Doppler Velocity profiling, Particle Imaging Velocimetry (2 and 3D and 1 and 2 phase), Laser Induced Fluorescence, Ultra-High Concentration Meters, Conductivity. In Field: Electro Magnetic Current Meters, Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry, Acoustic Doppler Current profiling, Field PIV, Multibeam Echo Sounding, Sediment sampling. Chapter 7 Laminar Flow (30 pp JB). Start with the simplified N-S equations and solve them like Reynolds did originally for Newtonian fluids. The concept of rheological fluids, yield stress, plastic behaviour. Examples: Dykes, Sills, Lava flows, debris flows. Liquefaction and fluidisation dynamics. Chapter 8 Turbulent Flow (40 pp ML). A long chapter starting with the fundamentals of turbulence, the Reynolds approach to the N-S Equations of Motion. Turbulent Kinetic Energy. The Townsend-Bradshaw approach to TKE production, dissipation etc. The 3D structure of turbulent shear flows. Chapter 9 Waves: Forces and Dynamics (20 pp ML). Gravity wave types. Gravity wave theory. Wave radiation stresses. Solitary waves. Combined flows. Chapter 10 Dirty Turbulent Flows and Particle-fluid Interactions (20 pp JB). The special effects on turbulent flows of material in transport, including Bagnoldian dynamics, drag reduction, turbulence modulation, turbidity flows. Transitional flows and their nature wrt turbulent and laminar flows. Maths Toolbox (20 pp). Standardised Nomenclature (5pp). Units and Conversions (5pp)