We report the experimental observation of Richardson dispersion and a double cascade in a thin horizontal fluid flow induced by Faraday waves. The energy spectra and the mean spectral energy flux obtained from particle image velocimetry data suggest an inverse energy cascade with Kolmogorov type scaling Ek$\propto${}k$\gamma${}, $\gamma${}$\approx${}-5/3 and an Ek$\propto${}k$\gamma${}, $\gamma${}$\approx${}-3 enstrophy cascade. Particle transport is studied analyzing absolute and relative dispersion as well as the finite size Lyapunov exponent (FSLE) via the direct tracking of real particles and numerical advection of virtual particles. Richardson dispersion with ⟨$\Delta${}R2(t)⟩$\propto${}t3 is observed and is also reflected in the slopes of the FSLE ($\Lambda${}$\propto${}$\Delta${}R-2/3) for virtual and real particles.

Based on ten years (1998–2007) of satellite ocean color data we analyze the spatiotemporal patterns in the seasonal Madagascar plankton bloom with respect to the advection of the recently discovered Southern Indian Ocean Countercurrent (SICC). In maps of Finite‐time Lyapunov Exponents (FTLE) and Finite‐Time Zonal Drift (FTZD) computed from altimetry derived velocities we observe a narrow zonal jet that starts at ∼25°S at the southern tip of Madagascar, an important upwelling region, and extends to the east further than the largest plankton blooms (∼2500 km). In bloom years, the jet coincides with large parts of the northern boundary of the plankton bloom, acting as a barrier to meridional transport. Our findings suggest that advection is an important and so far underestimated mechanism for the eastward propagation and the extent of the plankton bloom. This supports the hypothesis of a single nutrient source south of Madagascar.

Detailed process and equipment knowledge is crucial for the successful production of biopharmaceuticals. An essential part is the characterization of equipment for which Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is an important tool. While the steady, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) k − ε approach has been extensively reviewed in the literature and may be used for fast equipment characterization in terms of power number determination, transient schemes have to be further investigated and validated to gain more detailed insights into flow patterns because they are the method of choice for mixing time simulations. Due to the availability of commercial solvers, such as M-Star CFD, Lattice Boltzmann simulations have recently become popular in the industry, as they are easy to set up and require relatively low computing power. However, extensive validation studies for transient Lattice Boltzmann Large Eddy Simulations (LB LES) are still missing. In this study, transient LB LES were applied to simulate a 3 L bioreactor system. The results were compared to novel 4D particle tracking (4D PTV) experiments, which resolve the motion of thousands of passive tracer particles on their journey through the bioreactor. Steady simulations for the determination of the power number followed a structured workflow, including grid studies and rotating reference frame volume studies, resulting in high prediction accuracy with less than 11% deviation, compared to experimental data. Likewise, deviations for the transient simulations were less than 10% after computational demand was reduced as a result of prior grid studies. The time averaged flow fields from LB LES were in good accordance with the novel 4D PTV data. Moreover, 4D PTV data enabled the validation of transient flow structures by analyzing Lagrangian particle trajectories. This enables a more detailed determination of mixing times and mass transfer as well as local exposure times of local velocity and shear stress peaks. For the purpose of standardization of common industry CFD models, steady RANS simulations for the 3 L vessel were included in this study as well.

Pattern formation in reaction-diffusion systems is an important self-organizing mechanism in nature. Dynamics of systems with normal diffusion do not always reflect the processes that take place in real systems when diffusion is enhanced by a fluid flow. In such reaction-diffusion-advection systems diffusion might be anomalous for certain time and length scales. We experimentally study the propagation of a chemical wave occurring in a Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction subjected to a quasi-two-dimensional chaotic flow created by the Faraday experiment. We present a novel analysis technique for the local expansion of the active wave front and find evidence of its superdiffusivity. In agreement with these findings the variance $\sigma${}2(t)$\propto${}t$\gamma${} of the reactive wave grows supralinear in time with an exponent $\gamma${}>2. We study the characteristics of the underlying flow with microparticles. By statistical analysis of particle trajectories we derive flight time and jump length distributions and find evidence that tracer-particles undergo complex trajectories related to L\'evy statistics. The propagation of active and passive media in the flow is compared.