Analysis of turbulent/non-turbulent layer in cumulus cloud type of flows

Abstract: Turbulent plumes are an important class of free shear flows. They are prevalent in nature (e.g atmospheric clouds, volcanos) and also generated by many industrial processes (e.g, smoke from chimneys). The most important feature is the sharp and convoluted boundary which separates such flows from the quiescent ambient. This boundary is known as the turbulent/non-turbulent layer (TNTL). The plume flow interacts with the ambient fluid across the TNTL. Many important physical phenomena such as entrainment, transport of mass, momentum and energy, mixing occur across this layer. The TNTL consists of two different layers known as the viscous superlayer (VSL) and the turbulent sublayer (TSL). Different vorticity transport mechanisms dominate the different layers.