Reduced-dimension model for the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in a Hele-Shaw cell

In this thesis we present a reduced-dimension model for the density-driven hydrodynamic Rayleigh-Taylor instability. We motivate the project with experimental findings of a little-understood stabilizing effect of geometry and deviations of measured instability wavelength from theoretical predictions. We present novel methods of data analysis for the experimental data. We then present a reduced-dimension model for the governing equations of the system, Stoke's equations and Fick's law, using polynomial trial functions. We discuss the results and conduct a linear stability analysis of the reduced system. We compare the model to a finite element simulation of the full governing equations using COMSOL, and propose an optimization framework for the basis functions of the reduced model. The reduced model helps in developing physical intuition for the behavior of the instability in this confined geometry, and understanding the effects of certain parameters that are difficult to study experimentally or by simulating the full equations.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computation for Design and Optimization Program

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Alqatari, Samar(Samar Ali A.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Anette Hosoi.

• Computation for Design and Optimization Program.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122316

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/122316