We propose a method for predicting the nonlinear extent of convective instabilities in neutral and magnetized fluids. The method extends Gardner’s restacking algorithm, which computes the available energy and ground states of collisionless plasmas in phase space, and combines it with Lagrangian relaxation, where fluid elements find lower-energy equilibria while preserving local invariants. For the incompressible Rayleigh-Taylor instability, the problem is equivalent to Gardner’s formulation and the restacking algorithm directly applies in configuration space. To treat compressibility in a general setting, we follow restacking with Lagrangian relaxation to obtain the ground state, and the results show excellent agreement with direct numerical simulations. Successful extension to the $m=0$ interchange instability in a $Z$ pinch demonstrates the method’s potential as a general framework for estimating the nonlinear extent of convective instabilities, which can facilitate the design and operation of fusion reactors.

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• Magnetohydrodynamics
• Plasma instabilities
• Magnetically confined plasmas
• Hydrodynamics
• Magnetohydrodynamic techniques