Slip at the interface of a two-fluid swirling flow

This experimental and numerical study of a two-fluid swirling flow reveals a discontinuity of the radial velocity at the interface. The motion is driven by the rotating lid in a sealed vertical cylindrical container. The upper fluid radially diverges near the lid, goes downward near the sidewall, converges to the axis near the interface, and rises near the axis. This centrifugal circulation drives a bulk counter-circulation of the lower fluid at a slow rotation. As the rotation intensifies, a new circulation cell emerges in the lower fluid. The numerical simulations, performed under the continuity condition for all velocity and stress components, predict that the newcell emerges near the bottom and expands upward. In contrast, the new cell emerges near the interface and expands downward in the experiment. A slip condition is proposed for the radial velocity at the interface. The slip occurs due to the centrifugal force and difference in the fluid densities. The numerical simulations, performed with the slip condition, agree with the experiment. Published by AIP Publishing.