Theoretical study of a laminar jet in a double-diffusion environment

The flow field development associated with the injection of negatively, neutrally, and positively buoyant fluid layers into a stratified environment was analyzed in this study. The analysis considered two-dimensional (horizontal slot) fluid injection under laminar conditions in either temperature-stratified, salinity-stratified or double-diffusive stratified environments. The major features characterizing the buoyant layer development were identified. A numerical model, which integrates in a local reference frame the equations governing mass, momentum, heat and salinity fluxes, was developed. The model was used to examine the characteristic flow patterns for the two-dimensional buoyant discharges of interest in this study. It was also possible to show that double-diffusion effects may significantly influence the development of initially neutral fluid layers and cause a certain vertical deviation.