EDDY VISCOSITY CALCULATIONS OF TURBULENT BUOYANT PLUMES.

It is shown that a simple eddy viscosity model can predict accurately the velocity and temperature profiles of a fully developed axisymmetric buoyant plume in neutral surroundings, if the contribution of the turbulence to theoretical heat transport is accounted for. Calculations with turbulent Prandtl numbers near unity are shown to give the best agreement with experimentally determined profiles. It is also shown that for flows in local scale equilibrium such as the simple plume, eddy viscosity models can provide a useful means for discriminating between conflicting experimental data. Finally, reasons for the success of these simple models in buoyant plumes, possible additional flows in which the models can succeed, and probable limitations on this type of modeling are briefly discussed.