Buoyant thermal

A buoyant thermal is a localized rising volume of fluid whose mass density is lower than its surroundings. It can form the head of a starting plume. A spherical mixed thermal of radius $R$ has volume $V=4\pi R^3/3$ and reduced gravity $g_t=g({\rho }_0-{\rho }_t)/{\rho }_0$ in the Boussinesq approximation.

Suppose identical buoyant thermals deliver buoyancy $B_0$ at rate $f$ to a mixed lower layer of area $A$ before penetrating its interface. Neglect source volume and heat loss. Relative to the upper-layer density, let $D=gh({\rho }_L-{\rho }_2)/{\rho }_{\mathrm{ref}}$, $P=f{B}_0/A$, and $C=\sqrt{B_0/(2K)}$, where $K=4\pi {\alpha }^3/3$. The lower-layer buoyancy budget gives $D=D_0-Pt$. A cycle-averaged fluid entrainment closure $\dot{h}/u^{\ast }={\mathrm{Ri}}^{-1}$, with $u^{\ast }=C/h$, $b^{\ast }=\alpha h$, yields the displayed law. Neutrality of the thermal at the interface requires $D(t^{\ast })h(t^{\ast }{)}^2=B_0/K$. The closure must incorporate the encounter duty cycle; an isolated-event entrainment law needs an additional averaging prescription.

In the Boussinesq approximation, a spherical buoyant thermal with conserved total buoyancy $B_0$ obeys $\dot{b}=\alpha u$ and $d(Vu)/dt=B_0$, with $V=4\pi b^3/3$. A zero-volume, zero-impulse point source gives $b=\alpha z$, $K{z}^3\dot{z}=B_{0}t$, where $K=4\pi {\alpha }^3/3$. Hence $z^4=2B_0{t}^2/K$ and $u=\sqrt{B_0/(2K)}/z$. The zero-time singularity represents an ideal source limit, not a finite initially regular sphere.

A dilute bubbly thermal is a rising, entraining fluid volume whose gas bubbles provide part of its buoyancy. With negligible bubble slip and gas loss, Boyle's law gives gas volume proportional to $(1-z/H_p{)}^{-1}$, where $H_p=p_0/({\rho }_{0}g)$. Spherical fluid entrainment with normal entrainment velocity $\alpha W$ gives $da/dz=\alpha$. Bubble concentration follows by dividing the gas volume by the growing thermal volume. A diameter-based Froude number closure is $W=F\sqrt{2a{g}^{\prime }}$.

For a constant ambient buoyancy frequency, entrained liquid lags the decreasing ambient density by ${\rho }_0{N}^2[(a_0+\alpha z{)}^4-a_0^4]/[4\alpha g(a_0+\alpha z{)}^3]$. Balancing this negative buoyancy with expanding-bubble buoyancy gives the displayed fifth-degree equation. The first physically admissible root is the neutral height in the quasi-steady rise-speed model. In a very deep release, bubble expansion is negligible and $z_n=[(a_0^4+4\alpha g{\varphi }_0{a}_0^3/N^2{)}^{1/4}-a_0]/\alpha$. Actual momentum can cause overshoot, while bubble slip becomes important as the liquid stops rising.

If a buoyant thermal receives volume inflow $J$ with reduced gravity $g_p$ and receives no other fluid entrainment, its mass and volume balances imply $\dot{V}=J$ and $d(g_{t}V)/dt=g_{p}J$. If $V\propto t^{9/4}$ and $g_t\propto t^{-5/4}$, then $g_t=9g_p/4$.