Turbulenceiin

Turbulenceiin is a term used in turbulence research to denote a proposed regime of chaotic fluid motion that arises when inertial turbulence interacts with interfacial or compositional inhomogeneities in complex fluids. The concept is discussed in the context of multiphase and particulate flows, polymer solutions, and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence with impurities. In this view, the flow can exhibit a modified energy cascade and heightened intermittency compared with classical homogeneous isotropic turbulence.

Key features attributed to turbulenceiin include enhanced intermittency of velocity fluctuations, bursts of vorticity near interfaces, and a combined energy spectrum that shows both Kolmogorov-like scaling in parts of the inertial range and altered scaling where interfacial forces are strong. These effects are thought to arise from coherent interfacial structures, phase coupling, and the conversion of kinetic energy into interfacial or elastic energy. The term is used to describe observations that cannot be fully explained by standard single-fluid turbulence models.

Modeling approaches treat turbulenceiin with extended Navier-Stokes equations for multiphase flow or with two-fluid models that include interfacial stresses and concentration fields. Numerical simulations and targeted experiments seek to identify signatures such as non-Gaussian velocity increments, deviations from conventional structure-function scaling, and intensified mixing near interfaces. The concept remains a subject of ongoing research and debate, with various interpretations about its precise mechanisms and universality.

Applications and relevance discussed in the literature include potential improvements in predicting industrial mixing, atmospheric and combustion processes in bubbly or spray flows, and certain astrophysical plasmas where interfacial effects play a role. See also turbulence, multiphase flow, interfacial phenomena, and intermittency.