Aeronautical Society of India Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Symposium
Chennai, India - August 2026
Abstract: Evolution of a Buoyant Vortex Dipole
Vortical structures play a crucial role in turbulence, driving mixing, diffusion, and dissipation. In the presence of a temperature gradient, such as in hot plumes, the effects of buoyancy become significant, leading to the formation of buoyant vortices and buoyant vortex dipoles. This study investigates the evolution of a buoyant vortex dipole (BVD). The governing equations are derived under the Oberbeck-Boussinesq (OB) approximation in the non-dimensional form. The different flow features formed and their subsequent evolution arise from the complex interplay between thermal diffusion, viscous diffusion, and the effects of buoyancy. All these effects in turn depend on the aspect ratio ($\Pi$) of the BVD, which is defined as the ratio of the distance between the monopoles to their radius. Parametric simulations across a range of $\Pi$ reveal diverse topological flow features. Further, these simulations uncover different regimes of BVD evolution, ranging from rapid ejection accompanied by the formation of complex wakes at low $\Pi$, to instabilities accompanied by varied plume dynamics at high $\Pi$.
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