Showing papers on "Rayleigh number published in 1973"

Turbulent convection in a horizontal layer of water

Abstract: Overall heat transfer and mean temperature distribution measurements have been made of turbulent thermal convection in horizontal water layers heated from below. The Nusselt number is found to be proportional to Ra0·278 in the range 2·76 × 105 < Ra < 1·05 × 108. Eight discrete heat flux transitions are found in this Rayleigh number range. An interferometric method is used to measure the mean temperature distribution for Rayleigh numbers between 3·11 × 105 and 1·86 × 107. Direct visual and photographic observations of the fluctuating interferogram patterns show that the main heat transfer mechanism is the release of thermals from the boundary layers. For relatively low Rayleigh numbers (up to 5 × 105) many of the thermals reach the opposite surface and coalesce to form large masses of relatively warm fluid near the cold surface and masses of cold fluid near the warm surface, resulting in a temperature-gradient reversal. With increasing Rayleigh numbers, fewer and fewer thermals reach the opposite bounding surface and the thermals show persistent horizontal movements near the bounding surfaces. The central region of the layer becomes an isothermal core. The mean temperature distributions for the high Rayleigh number range are found to follow a Z−2 power law over a considerable range, where Z is the distance from the bounding surface. A very limited agreement with the theoretically predicted Z−1 power law is also found.

Two-dimensional Rayleigh-Benard convection

Abstract: Two-dimensional convection in a Boussinesq fluid confined between free boundaries is studied in a series of numerical experiments. Earlier calculations by Fromm and Veronis were limited to a maximum Rayleigh number R 50 times the critical value R, for linear instability. This range is extended to 1000Rc. Convection in water, with a Prandtl number p = 6·8, is systematically investigated, together with other models for Prandtl numbers between 0·01 and infinity. Two different modes of nonlinear behaviour are distinguished. For Prandtl numbers greater than unity there is a viscous regime in which the Nusselt number . At higher Rayleigh numbers advection of vorticity becomes important and N ∞ R0·365. When p = 6·8 the heat flux is a maximum for square cells; steady convection is impossible for wider cells and finite amplitude oscillations appear instead, with periodic fluctuations of temperature and velocity in the layer. For p < 1 it is also found that N ∞ R0·365, with a constant of proportionality equal to 1·90 when p [Lt ] 1 and decreasing slowly as p is increased. The physical behaviour in these regimes is analysed and related to astrophysical convection.

Natural convection in a sloping porous layer

Abstract: This paper describes an experimental and theoretical study of thermal convection in a sloping porous layer. The saturated layer is bounded by two parallel impermeable planes maintained at different temperatures. Several types of flows were observed: a unicellular movement and a juxtaposition of longitudinal coils or of polyhedral cells.A theoretical analysis has been made using the standard bases of the linear theory of stability and by taking into account some assumptions suggested by experimental observations. The critical conditions for the transition between unicellular and polycellular flows has been determined. For flow in longitudinal coils or with polyhedral cells the average heat transfer depends mainly on the filtration Rayleigh number and on the slope of the layer.The experimental study was made in a Rayleigh number range 0–800 and for various slopes (0–90°). For both the transition criterion and the heat transfer, a good fit was observed between the experimental and theoretical results. For maximum slope, i.e. 90°, a correlation which connects the Nusselt number with both the Rayleigh number and the vertical extent of the model is proposed.

Nonlinear penetrative convection

Abstract: Convection in water above ice penetrates into the stably stratified region above the density maximum at 4 °C. Two-dimensional penetrative convection in a Boussinesq fluid confined between free boundaries has been studied in a series of numerical experiments. These included cases with a constant temperature at both boundaries as well as cases with a fixed average flux at the lower boundary. Steady convection occurs at Rayleigh numbers below the critical value predicted by linear theory. At high Rayleigh numbers, resonant coupling between convection and gravitational modes in the stable layer excites finite amplitude oscillations. The problem can be described by a simplified model which allows for distortion of the mean temperature profile and balances the convected and conducted flux. This model explains the finite amplitude instability and predicts the Nusselt number as a function of Rayleigh number. These predictions are in excellent agreement with the computed results.

Velocity and heat transfer measurements in thermal convection

Abstract: Measurements were taken of the heat transport and vertical component of the fluid velocity in a horizontal layer of water heated from below. The heat transfer results were well correlated by a simple power law relationship and indicated the possibility of flow transitions even at relatively high Rayleigh numbers. The velocity measurements were obtained optically and compared to predictions of Kraichnan.

Inversion Rise Model Based on Penetrative Convection

Abstract: A mathematical model to describe the height changes and other characteristics of an inversion base under the influence of surface convection and general subsidence is developed. Inversion interface dynamics and entrainment rates are formulated based on an unstable boundary layer environment of well-organized, plume-like, penetrative convection. The use of unstable boundary layer scaling velocities in describing the convection leads to a natural inclusion of the relevant parameters associated with inversions into this model. It is found that the model does accurately predict realistic rates of inversion rise and of temperature changes for conditions where organized free convection is prevalent.

A note on free convection

Abstract: The limiting condition of µ*, →0 in the unstable atmospheric boundary layer is usually referred to as ‘free convection’. Some of the similarity laws that are proposed for this condition do not agree with experiment. A mechanism is proposed in this paper to show why the asymptotic free convection condition is never completely reached near the surface. It is shown that local turbulent shear production plays an important role in shaping the temperature profile even when the average velocity is zero.

Global stability of time-dependent flows: impulsively heated or cooled fluid layers

Abstract: The method of energy is used to discuss the stability of time-dependent diffusive temperature profiles in fluid layers subject to impulsive changes in surface temperature.Bounds for the ratio of disturbance energy production to dissipation are found to be parametric functions of time because the basic temperature develops through diffusion. This time dependence leads to the demarcation of regions of stability in a Rayleigh number-time plane and the interpretation of these regions is given. Numerical results are presented for the cases of impulsive heating and cooling of initialty isothermal fluid layers. New global stability results which give the Rayleigh number below which the diffusive solution to the Boussinesq equations is unique are reported for these cases.

Convective Instability in the Thermal Entrance Region of a Horizontal Parallel-Plate Channel Heated from Below

Abstract: An investigation is carried out to determine the conditions marking the onset of longitudinal vortex rolls due to buoyant forces in the thermal entrance region of a horizontal parallel-plate channel where the lower plate is heated isothermally and the upper plate is cooled isothermally. Axial heat conduction is included in an analytical solution for the Graetz problem with fully developed laminar velocity profile. Linear-stability theory based on Boussinesq approximation is employed in the derivation of perturbation equations. An iterative procedure using high-order finite-difference approximation is applied to solve the perturbation equations and a comparison is made against the conventional second-order approximation. It is found that for Pr ≥ 0.7 the flow is more stable in the thermal entrance region than in the fully developed region, but the situation is just opposite for small Prandtl number, say Pr ≤ 0.2. Graphical results for the critical Rayleigh numbers and the corresponding disturbance wavenumbers are presented for the case of Pe → ∞ with Prandtl number as a parameter and the case of air (Pr = 0.7) with Peclet number as a parameter in the range of dimensionless axial distance from the entrance between x = 0.001 and 4 × 10−1 .

Finite amplitude sideways diffusive convection

Abstract: We consider the flow in a differentially heated vertical slot filled with a stably stratified solution. The stability of the flow driven by the differential heating is investigated in the limits of small but finite amplitude disturbances and very large solute Rayleigh number RS = gβ(∂Sa/∂z)D4/KSv. If the Schmidt number H = KT/KS is of order 1, the growth of an initial perturbation at the neutral point is balanced by horizontal advection of solute and heat, and a steady equilibration amplitude is attained. The Nusselt number is independent of all fluid properties and is directly proportional to the Rayleigh number excess e = (Ra – Rac)/Rac. If H is much greater than |RS|⅙, or if the disturbance wave-number is slightly less than the critical wavenumber, subcritical instabilities are possible. In particular a resonant instability is possible. These theoretical predictions are consistent with previous experimental results and with the laboratory results described in this paper. In the experiments we find that the mixing of the initial sugar gradient is accomplished by convection cells which undergo transitions to larger wavelengths. The breakdown of the interfaces between convection cells is described.

Heat Transfer by Natural Convection between Vertically Eccentric Spheres

Abstract: Natural convection to a cooled sphere from an enclosed, vertically eccentric, heated sphere is described in this paper Water and two silicone oils were utilized in conjunction with four different combinations of sphere sizes and six eccentricities for each of these combinations Both heat-transfer rates and temperature profiles are presented The effect of a negative eccentricity (inner sphere below center of outer sphere) on the temperature distribution was an enhancement of the convective motion, while a positive eccentricity tended to stabilize the flow field and promote conduction rather than convection As for concentric spheres, a multicellular flow pattern was postulated to explain the thermal field observed for the largest inner sphere utilized In all cases the heat-transfer rates were increased by moving the inner sphere to an eccentric position, and the utilization of a conformal-mapping technique to transform the eccentric spheres to concentric spheres enabled the application of existing empirical correlations for concentric spheres to the eccentric-sphere data It is significant to note that this technique yields a single correlation equation, in terms of only keff /k and a modified Rayleigh number, which is valid for an extremely wide range of diameter ratios, eccentricities, Rayleigh numbers, and Prandtl numbers

Heat-flux transitions at low Rayleigh number

Abstract: The transition to turbulence in the convective flow of air between horizontal plates in a circular convection chamber has been investigated. Measurements of the heat flux and the instantaneous spatial temperature field were made simultaneously for a range of Rayleigh number Ra between 3 × 103 and 5 × 104. Ra could be varied by changing the vertical separation or the temperature difference between the plates. The temperature field was measured with either a horizontal or a vertical array of resistance wires mounted so that the flow field could be traversed at velocities much greater than flow velocities characteristic of thermal convection. Slope transitions in the heat flux were found at Ra = 9600 and Ra = 26000. Many measurements of the instantaneous horizontal distribution of temperature for Ra > RaT2 indicate a growth in amplitude of fluctuations with non-dimensional cyclical wavenumbers of 0·4 and greater. The probability of observing these high wavenumber fluctuations also increases as Ra becomes greater than RaT2. The horizontal wavelengths of the different types of temperature fluctuations are compared with the observations of others.

Numerical simulation of the generation and breaking of internal gravity waves

Abstract: A numerical model is presented that permits the simulation of stratified fluid phenomena in which gravitationally unstable regions are present. The influence of subgrid scale turbulence generation due to convective instability is parameterized by relating eddy viscosity coefficients to the local Rayleigh number in unstable regions. The model is used to study three different laboratory scale flow problems involving gravity wave generation, wave breaking, and penetrative convection. The numerical solutions show good agreement with available experimental and analytic results as well as with a numerical solution obtained by other investigators.