Axisymmetric vortex breakdown: a barrier to mixing

Abstract In this paper, we investigate mixing in flows dominated by bubble-type vortex breakdown. Three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations in cylindrical polar coordinates are solved to simulate flow in a cylindrical container. We have found that in steady regime of the flow, the vortex breakdown bubble is axisymmetric and apparent non-axisymmetric features observed in experiments are artifacts of imperfections in experimental set-ups. We also find that the heteroclinic manifold joining hyperbolic points of the vortex breakdown bubble is stable in the absence of any perturbation and no chaotic advection was found within vortex breakdown bubble. This makes the vortex breakdown bubble impermeable to outer fluid and hence, the vortex breakdown bubble inhibits mixing. We conclude that symmetry is a barrier to mixing.