EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL MODELING OF DIAMONDIFEROUS PLUMES

We consider thermochemical mantle plumes with thermal power 1.6·1010 W<N<2.7·1010 W (relative thermal power 1.15<Ka<1.9) as plumes with an intermediate thermal power. Such plumes are formed at the core–mantle boundary beneath cratons in the absence of horizontal free‐convection mantle flows beneath them, or in the presence of weak horizontal mantle flows. A proposed scheme of convection flows in the conduit of a plume with an intermediate thermal power is based on laboratory and theoretical modeling data. A plume ascends (melts out) from the coremantle boundary to critical depth xкр from which magma erupts on the Earth’s surface. The magmatic melt erupts from the plume conduit onto the surface through the eruption conduit. The latter forms under the effect of superlithostatic pressure on the plume roof. While the thickness of the block above the plume roof decreases to a critical value xкр, the shear stress on its cylindrical surface reaches a critical value (strength limit) τкр.Rock fails in the vicinity of the cylindrical block and, as a consequence, the eruption conduit is formed. We estimate the height of the eruption conduit and the time for the plume to ascent to the critical depth xкр. The volume of erupted melt is estimated for kinematic viscosity of melt =0.5–2 м2/с. The depth Δx from which the melt is transported to the surface is determined. Using the eruption volume, we obtain a relationship between the depth Δx and the plume conduit diameter for the above‐mentioned kinematic viscosities. In the case that the depth Δx is larger than 150 km, the melt from the plume conduit can transport diamonds to the Earth’s surface. Thus, the plumes with an intermediate thermal power are diamondiferous. The melt flow structure at the plume conduit/eruption conduit interface is determined on the basis of the laboratory modeling data. The photographs of the simulated flow were obtained. The flow line velocities were measured in the main cylindrical conduit (plume conduit) and at the main conduit/eruption conduit interface. A stagnant area is detected in the 'conduit wall/plume roof’ interface zone. The melt flow in the eruption conduit was analyzed as a turbulent flow in the straight cylindrical conduit with diameter dк. According to the experimental modeling and theoretical data, the superlithostatic pressure in the plume conduit is the sum of the frictional pressure drop and the increasing dynamic pressure in the eruption conduit. A relationship between the melt flow velocity in the eruption conduit and superlithostatic pressure has been derived.

Dynamics of Three-Dimensional Turbulent Wall Plumes and Implications for Estimates of Submarine Glacier Melting

Subglacial discharges have been observed to generate buoyant plumes along the ice face of Greenland tidewater glaciers. These plumes have been traditionally modeled using classical plume theory, and their characteristic parameters (e.g., velocity) are employed in the widely used three-equation melt parameterization. However, the applicability of plume theory for three-dimensional turbulent wall plumes is questionable because of the complex near-wall plume dynamics. In this study, corrections to the classical plume theory are introduced to account for the presence of a wall. In particular, the drag and entrainment coefficients are quantified for a three-dimensional turbulent wall plume using data from direct numerical simulations. The drag coefficient is found to be an order of magnitude larger than that for a boundary layer flow over a flat plate at a similar Reynolds number. This result suggests a significant increase in the melting estimates by the current parameterization. However, the volume flux in a wall plume is found to be one-half that of a conical plume that has 2 times the buoyancy flux. This finding suggests that the total entrainment (per unit area) of ambient water is the same and that the plume scalar characteristics (i.e., temperature and salinity) can be predicted reasonably well using classical plume theory.

Enhanced ablation of a vertical ice wall due to an external freshwater plume

We investigate the effect of an external freshwater plume on the dissolution of a vertical ice wall in salty water using laboratory experiments. We measure the plume velocity, the ablation velocity of the ice and the temperature at the ice wall. The freshwater volume flux, $Q_{s}$, is varied between experiments to determine where the resultant wall plume transitions from being dominated by the distributed buoyancy flux due to dissolution of the ice, to being dominated by the initial buoyancy flux, $B_{s}$. We find that when $B_{s}$ is significantly larger than the distributed buoyancy flux from dissolution, the plume velocity is uniform with height and is proportional to $B_{s}^{1/3}$, the interface temperature is independent of $B_{s}$, and the ablation velocity increases with $B_{s}$.

Convection at an isothermal wall in an enclosure and establishment of stratification

In this experimental–theoretical investigation, we consider a turbulent plume generated by an isothermal wall in a closed cavity and the formation of heat stratification in the interior. The buoyancy of the plume near the wall and the temperature stratification are measured across a vertical plane with the temperature laser induced fluorescence method, which is shown to be accurate and efficient (precision of $0.2\,^{\circ }$C) for experimental studies on convection. The simultaneous measurement of the velocity field with particle image velocimetry allows for the calculation of the flow characteristics such as the Richardson number and Reynolds stress. This enables us to give a refined description of the wall plume, as well as the circulation and evolution of the stratification in the interior. The wall plume is found to have an inner layer close to the heated boundary with a laminar transport of hardly mixed fluid which causes a relatively warm top layer and an outer layer with a transition from laminar to turbulent at a considerable height. The measured entrainment coefficient is found to be dramatically influenced by the increase in stratification of the ambient fluid. To model the flow, the entrainment model of Morton, Taylor & Turner (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, vol. 234 (1196), 1956, pp. 1–23) has first been adapted to the case of an isothermal wall. Differences due to their boundary condition of a constant buoyancy flux, modelled with salt by Cooper & Hunt (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 646, 2010, pp. 39–58), turn out to be small. Next, to include the laminar–turbulent transition of the boundary layer, a hybrid model is constructed which is based on the similarity solutions reported by Worster & Leitch (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 156, 1985, pp. 301–319) for the laminar part and the entrainment model for the turbulent part. Finally, the observed variation of the global entrainment coefficient, which is due to the increased presence of an upper stratified layer with a relatively low entrainment coefficient, is incorporated into both models. All models show reasonable agreement with experimental measurements for the volume, momentum and buoyancy fluxes as well as for the evolution of the stratification in the interior. In particular, the introduction of the variable entrainment coefficient improves all models significantly.

The turbulent wall plume from a vertically distributed source of buoyancy

We experimentally investigate the turbulent wall plume that forms next to a uniformly distributed source of buoyancy. Our experimental results are compared with the theoretical model and experiments of Cooper & Hunt (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 646, 2010, pp. 39–58). Our experiments give a top-hat entrainment coefficient of $0.048\pm 0.006$. We measure a maximum vertical plume velocity that follows the scaling predicted by Cooper & Hunt but is significantly smaller. Our measurements allow us to construct a turbulent plume model that predicts all plume properties at any height. We use this plume model to calculate plume widths, velocities and Reynolds numbers for typical dissolving icebergs and ice fronts and for a typical room with a heated or cooled vertical surface.

Application of the k-ε Turbulence Model to Buoyant Adiabatic Wall Plumes

Computational fluid dynamics based on Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations is used to model a turbulent planar buoyant adiabatic wall plume. The plume is generated by directing a helium/air source upwards at the base of the wall. Far from the source, the resulting plume becomes self-similar to a good approximation. Several turbulence models based predominantly on the k-ε modeling technique, including algebraic stress modeling, are examined and evaluated against experimental data for the mean mixture fraction, the mixture fraction fluctuations, the mean velocity, and the Reynolds shear stress. Several versions of the k-ε model are identified that can predict important flow quantities with reasonable accuracy. Some new results are presented for the variation in a mixing function for the mixture normal to the wall. Finally, the predicted (velocity) lateral spread is as expected smaller for wall flows in comparison to the free flows, but quite importantly, it depends on the wall boundary conditions in agreement with experiments, i.e., it is larger for adiabatic than for hot wall plumes.