Abstract

The blowup mechanism for an inviscid wall-bounded flow is investigated from a primitive-variables point of view.  The analysis focuses on the interplay between inertia and pressure, rather than on vorticity.  The incompressible Euler equations are numerically simulated in a cylindrical container. The flow is axisymmetric with the swirl. The simulations reproduce and corroborate aspects of prior studies by Luo and Hou reporting strong evidence for a finite-time singularity. The linearity of the pressure Poisson equation is exploited to decompose the pressure field into independent contributions. A model is presented based on a primitive-variables formulation of the Euler equations, with closure coming from how pressure is determined from velocity. The model captures key features in the mechanics of the blowup scenario.