Non-modal disturbances growth in a viscous mixing layer flow

Abstract: Non-modal transient growth of disturbances in a viscous mixing layer flow is studied for the Reynolds numbers varying from 100 up to 5000 at different streamwise and spanwise wavenumbers. By comparing results of several mathematical approaches, it is concluded that the non-modal optimal disturbances growth results from the discrete part of the spectrum only. It is found that in the linearly unstable configurations the non-modal growth cannot be larger than the exponential one. At the same time, the largest non-modal growth takes place at the wavenumbers for which the mixing layer flow is stable. The most profound growth is attained by oblique three-dimensional waves that propagate at the angle close to 45o with respect to the base flow. Results of the non-modal analysis are followed by the fully non-linear three-dimensional time-dependent solutions, initial conditions for which are taken as the calculated optimal vectors. The fully 3D non-linear calculations exhibit growth and decay of flow structures that sometimes become similar to those observed at late stages of time evolution of the Kelvin-Helmholtz billows. It is shown that non-modal optimal disturbances yield a strong mixing without a transition to turbulence.