ABSTRACT
In this paper we consider instability of incompressible fluid flow in a rotating cavity. Identification and characterization of mechanisms related to the laminar-turbulent process in rotating cavities should improve the prediction methods and lead to new more effective control strategies, of considerable importance in practical flow. Both direct numerical methods and linear theory are used to investigate flow in the rotating cavity. Direct numerical simulation is based on an effective pseudo spectral Chebyshev-Fourier method for solving 3D Navier-Stokes equations. Linear theory considers the complete rotor/stator and rotor/rotor flows. The spatio/temporal development of the instability structures that appear in the first stage of laminar-turbulent transition is investigated. The instability structures are interpreted in light of the type I and type II instabilities.