A two step viscothermal acoustic FE method
Previously, the authors presented a finite element for viscothermal acoustics. This element has the velocity vector, the temperature and the pressure as degrees of freedom. It can be used, for example, to model sound propagation in miniature acoustical transducers. Unfortunately, the large number of coupled degrees of freedom can make the models big and time consuming to solve. A method with reduced calculation time has been developed. It is possible to partially decouple the temperature degree of freedom, as result of the differences in the characteristic length scales of acoustics and heat conduction. This leads to a method that uses two sequential steps. In the first step, a scalar field containing information about the thermal effects is calculated (not the temperature). This is a relatively small FE calculation. In the second step, the actual viscothermal acoustical equations are solved. This calculation uses the field calculated in the first step and has the velocity vector and the pressure as the degrees of freedom. The temperature is not a degree of freedom anymore, but it can be easily calculated in a post processing step. The required computational effort is reduced significantly, while the difference in the results, compared to the fully coupled method, is negligible. Along with the theoretical basis for the method, a specific FE calculation is presented to illustrate its accuracy and improvement in calculation time.
An acoustic finite element including viscothermal effects
In acoustics it is generally assumed that viscous- en thermal boundary layer effects play a minor role in the propagation of sound waves. Hence, these effects are neglected in the basic set of equations describing the sound field. However, for geometries that include small confinements of air or thin air layers, this assumption is not valid. Special models that include viscous and thermal effects are available (for example the Low Reduced Frequency model) but only for a limited number of geometries. To overcome these limitations and provide a solution that can be used for arbitrary geometries, an acoustic finite (2D) element that includes viscous and thermal effects is developed. The model is based on the linearized Navier stokes equations (including shear), the equation of continuity, the equation of state for an ideal gas and the energy equation. The method of weighed residuals is used in combination with a mixed formulation of pressure, temperature and particle velocity degrees of freedom. The results of the developed element code are compared with the results of an existing (analytical) Low Reduced Frequency solution and a viscothermal element that was found in literature.
The potential vorticity flux through the Yucatan Channel and the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico
Two‐year‐long time series of current and density structure measurements across the Yucatan Channel's main section allow the calculation of the time‐dependent potential vorticity flux between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, which is characterized by alternating periods of positive (cyclonic) and negative (anti‐cyclonic) vorticity influx. Periods of negative cumulative vorticity influx are related to the Loop Current extending into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas periods of positive cumulative vorticity influx relate to a Loop Current retraction, sometimes coincident with the shedding of an anti‐cyclonic eddy.