Showing papers on "Rayleigh number published in 1975"

The Overall Convective Heat Transfer from Smooth Circular Cylinders

Abstract: Publisher Summary Accurate knowledge of the overall convective heat transfer from circular cylinders is of importance in a number of fields, such as boiler design, hotwire anemometry, and the rating of electrical conductors. The wide dispersion in the published experimental data for the heat transfer from smooth circular cylinders by natural and forced convection is attributed to various factors associated with the experiments. The error due to heat conduction to the supports is particularly important with natural convection, especially where the heat loss and the temperature rise of the cylinder are calculated from the voltage drop across it. A common cause of error is the use of too small a space ratio, so that the temperature and velocity fields are distorted. To reduce this error to less than l%, the space ratio D c /D for natural convection or D T /D for forced convection should exceed 100. The error caused by blockage with wind tunnel measurements can be calculated depending on the type of tunnel. One of the greatest sources of error with forced convection is the failure to allow for the effect of stream turbulence.

On the interaction of two scales of convection in the mantle

Abstract: A system in which convection takes place in the upper mantle on two distinct horizontal length scales is proposed. This is consistent with the existence of the plates themselves, the relatively constant heat flux background in older ocean basins, and the knowledge of convection in fluid layers gained from laboratory and numerical experiments. The large-scale circulation consists of the plates themselves and the return flow necessary to conserve mass. The small-scale flow, analogous to Rayleigh-Benard convection or variants of this, which have been the main target of numerical study, provides the necessary vertical heat transport in the upper mantle that supplies the required heat flux at the base of the lithosphere. The depth of convection is taken to be down to the 650-km seismic discontinuity, and this depth characterizes the horizontal length scale of the small-scale convection. This system is studied by means of a set of laboratory experiments that explore the interaction of the small-scale convection with the large-scale flow. The experiments show the plausibility of convection on two scales. Furthermore, they suggest that beneath fast-moving plates (absolute velocities around 10 cm y−1) the small-scale convection will align itself as rolls in the direction of the large-scale flow in geologically short times. However, beneath very slow moving plates the times required for the alignment of convective rolls are long in comparison with times over which no changes in plate motions are to be expected. Here the convective planform is more likely to take the form of upwelling and downwelling spouts. Thus this simple system of a convecting layer beneath a moving boundary contains the possibility of explaining a wide variety of surface features. Observational tests of the consequences of the two-scale idea are suggested, and the assumptions on which this idea is based are critically discussed.

Stability characteristics of a single-phase free convection loop

Abstract: Experiments investigating the stability characteristics of a single-phase free convection loop are reported. Results of the study confirm the contention made by previous workers that instabilities near the thermodynamic critical point can occur for ordinary fluids as well as those with unusual behavior in the near-critical region. Such a claim runs counter to traditional beliefs, but it is supported by the observation of such instabilities for water at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures in the present work.

Thermoconvective instabilities in a horizontal porous layer

Abstract: Experimental investigations of natural convection in a porous layer placed between two horizontal and isothermal plane surfaces have revealed a new type of convection as the Rayleigh number Ra* increases: fluctuating convection. A numerical study carried out on a two-dimensional model in order to simulate this phenomenon shows that, apart from the influence of the Rayleigh number, the aspect ratio A (length/height) of a vortical cell is the most important parameter for the occurrence of this type of convection. These quasi-periodic fluctuations induce important variations in the temperature field and in the streamlines. The total heat transport, as defined by the Nusselt number Nu*, varies within limits which may be separated by 80% of the mean value. Using the Galerkin method it is possible to deduce the conditions for the onset of convection from a state of pure conduction and also to define the critical conditions for the development of fluctuating convection from another perturbed state. A physical interpretation of the results is given for each type of convection. The results seem to agree with the experimental and numerical results obtained by different authors.

Dissipative heating in convective flows

Abstract: Dissipative heating is produced by irreversible processes, such as viscous or ohmic heating, in a convecting fluid; its importance depends on the ratio d/HT of the depth of the convecting region to the temperature scale height. Integrating the entropy equation for steady flow yields an upper bound to the total rate of dissipative heating in a convecting layer. For liquids there is a regime in which the ratio of dissipative heating to the convected heat flux is approximately equal to c(d/HT), where the constant c is independent of the Rayleigh number. This result is confirmed by numerical experiments using the Boussinesq approximation, which is valid only if d/HT is small. For deep layers the dissipative heating rate may be much greater than the convected heat flux. If the earth's magnetic field is maintained by a convectively driven dynamo, ohmic losses are limited to 5% of the convected flux emerging from the core. In the earth's mantle viscous heating may be important locally beneath ridges and behind island arcs.

Free convection in low-temperature gaseous helium

Abstract: Free convection has been studied in gaseous helium at low temperatures in a cylindrical vessel of aspect ratio (diameterlheight) 2·5. Compared with measurements in fluids at room temperature the present arrangement has the advantages of small size, a short time constant and improved accuracy. As the Rayleigh number was varied from 60 to 2 × 109, the Nusselt number rose from 1 to 69, obeying the relation Nu = 0·173Ra0·2800±0·0005 over the upper four decades of Ra. The critical Rayleigh number was 1630, but the conditions of the experiment did not allow reliable measurements at such low values of Ra. The very high sensitivity within a given experiment showed the presence of several ‘discrete transitions’, which were often step like and not merely a change of gradient as reported by other workers. The largest of these, at Ra = 3 · 105, involved a drop in heat flux of some 6% and was somewhat hysteretic. The temperature fluctuations increased markedly as the step was crossed.

Nonlinear Thermal Convection

Abstract: The topic of this. review article is thermal convection in thin horizontal fluid layers, uniformly heated from below and/or cooled from above. If the temperature difference between the two horizontal boundaries is sufficiently small, the heat will be transferred through the fluid by conduction alone. For greater temperature differences the conduction state becomes unstable and a convective motion is set up. The first experimental investigations on thermal convection date back to Thomson (1881) and Benard ( 1900). The experiments by Benard in particular have attracted great attention and are today considered classical in fluid mechanics. This is essentially due to the surprising and fascinating pattern of very regular hexagonal cells obtained for large values of time in his experiments. Benard studied convective motion in a very shallow layer of viscous fluid (molten spermaceti) and made the motion visible by graphite or aluminum powder. The theory of thermal convection was initiated by Rayleigh ( 1916). He assumed that the amplitude of the motion was infinitesimal such that the equations could be linearized. He thus derived the critical temperature gradient (or in modern language, the critical Rayleigh number) for the onset of convection together with the wavenumber for the marginal stable mode. The resemblance of the cell pattern in the Rayleigh theory to certain cloud forms was early noticed by meteorologists. For example, it was pointed out that often the observed ratio between the vertical height and the lateral extent in cumulus clouds is the same as found in the theory for hexagonal cells. The theory on cloud formation is perhaps best applied to the convective motion set up in an altostratus layer when it breaks up into altocumulus clouds because of radiative cooling at the top of the layer. This application is, however, obscured by the effect of the release of latent heat, which is not accounted for in the theory. The theory on thermal convection has become very important in the study of motion in the earth's interior (see Turcotte & Oxburgh 1972) and also in some branches of astrophysics (Spiegel 1971 , 1972). The great interest shown to the theory for the last 10--15 years is partly due to these and other applications. The main

Modal equations for cellular convection

Abstract: We expand the fluctuating flow variables of Boussinesq convection in the planform functions of linear theory. Our proposal is to consider a drastic truncation of this expansion as a possible useful approximation scheme for studying cellular convection. With just one term included, we obtain a fairly simple set of equations which reproduces some of the qualitative properties of cellular convection and whose steady-state form has already been derived by Roberts (1966). This set of 'modal equations' is analyzed at slightly supercritical and at very high Rayleigh numbers. In the latter regime the Nusselt number varies with Rayleigh number just as in the mean-field approximation with one horizontal scale when the boundaries are rigid. However, the Nusselt number now depends also on the Prandtl number in a way that seems compatible with experiment. The chief difficulty with the approach is the absence of a deductive scheme for deciding which planforms should be retained in the truncated expansion.

The onset of transient convective instability

Abstract: The stability of a horizontal fluid layer when the thermal (or concentration) gradient is not uniform is examined by means of linear stability analysis. Both buoyancy and surface-tension effects are considered, and the analogous problem for a porous medium is also treated. Attention is focused on the situation where the critical Rayleigh number (or Marangoni number) is less than that for a linear thermal gradient, and the convection is not (in general) maintained. The case of constant-flux boundary conditions is examined because then a simple application of the Galerkin method gives useful results and general basic temperature profiles are readily treated. Numerical results are obtained for special cases, and some general conclusions about the destabilizing effects, with respect to disturbances of infinitely long wavelength, of various basic temperature profiles are presented. If the basic temperature gradient (considered positive, for a fluid which expands on heating, if the temperature decreases upwards) is nowhere negative, then the profile which leads to the smallest critical Rayleigh (or Marangoni) number is one in which the temperature changes stepwise (at the level at which the velocity, if motion were to occur, would be vertical) but is otherwise uniform. If, as well as being non-negative, the temperature gradient is a monotonic function of the depth, then the most unstable temperature profile is one for which the temperature gradient is a step function of the depth.

Numerical simulation of two-dimensional compressible convection

Abstract: A procedure for obtaining numerical solutions to the equations describing thermal convection in a compressible fluid is outlined. The method is applied to the case of a perfect gas with constant viscosity and thermal conductivity. The fluid is considered to be confined in a rectangular region by fixed slippery boundaries and motions are restricted to two dimensions. The upper and lower boundaries are maintained at fixed temperatures and the side boundaries are thermally insulating. The resulting convection problem can be characterized by six dimension-less parameters. The onset of convection has been studied both by obtaining solutions to the nonlinear equations in the neighbourhood of the critical Rayleigh number Rc and by solving the linear stability problem. Solutions have been obtained for values of the Rayleigh number up to 100Rc and for pressure variations of a factor of 300 within the fluid. In some cases the fluid velocity is comparable to the local sound speed. The Nusselt number increases with decreasing Prandtl number for moderate values of the depth parameter. Steady finite amplitude solutions have been found in all the cases considered. As the horizontal dimension A of the rectangle is increased, the length of time needed to reach a steady state also increases. For large values of A the solution consists of a number of rolls. Even for small values of A, no solutions have been found where one roll is vertically above another.

Variable viscosity effects on the onset of convection in porous media

Abstract: The onset of convection in a horizontal, isotropic, water‐saturated porous medium is considered. The temperature difference between the top and bottom is as large as 250 °C. The effects of an eightfold variation in kinematic viscosity are included. The critical Rayleigh number is found to be substantially reduced from the classical value although the associated wavenumber is nearly the same. Neutral mode streamline and isotherm patterns are considerably distorted in the vertical direction in distinction to the symmetric patterns found in the constant viscosity classical calculation.

Numerical models of convection in the upper mantle

Abstract: Two-dimensional numerical models of steady state convection show that convection cells of aspect ratio as large as 8.6 are possible for variable viscosity convection in the upper mantle. Our models include the effects of variable viscosity, viscous dissipation, internal heating, heat flow through the bottom, and the adiabatic gradient. The large aspect ratio of the convection cells is primarily due to the large viscosity contrast between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. It appears possible for multiple convection cells to occur in a low-viscosity zone while the surface velocities give the appearance of a single cell. The details of the viscosity law relevant to mantle materials and conditions are presently uncertain but are of crucial importance; temperature, viscosity, and flow patterns are inextricably entwined. Convection decreases the overall temperature gradient; consequently, generally accepted temperatures for most of the mantle are too high. The controversies over plate-mantle decoupling and passive versus active plates are probably due to oversimplifications that disregard hydrodynamic concepts.

On Cellular Cloud Patterns. Part 1: Mathematical Model

Abstract: The relationship of “open” or “closed” cellular cloud patterns to large-scale sinking or rising motion is investigated. In particular, it is shown that the open cell patterns typically found behind cold fronts can be determined by a large-scale sinking motion of a convectively unstable layer. The mathematical model treated is one in which a layer of Boussinesq fluid between two conducting porous boundaries is given a uniform vertical velocity w0. The linear stability problem for small γ=w0/κ, where κ is the thermal diffusivity and d the depth of the layer, is solved for a critical Rayleigh number Rc. The solutions for the flow field for this linear problem are infinitely degenerate. Steady finite-amplitude solutions of the nonlinear Boussinesq equations are obtained by a double expansion of the fields in powers of γ and an amplitude ϵ. The stability of the nonlinear solutions is investigated and it is shown that for a certain range of Prandtl numbers, (i) for γ>0, only hexagonal cells with upward...

Temperature profile in the molecular sublayer near the interface of a fluid in turbulent motion

Abstract: The molecular sublayers adjacent to the air-sea interface are assumed to undergo cyclic growth and destruction in order to explain the exponential temperature profiles measured by Khundzhua and Andreyev. The duration of such cycles is taken to be randomly distributed in forced convection and a constant period is used to determine the temperature profile in free convection.

Hydrodynamic instability in fluid layers with uniform volumetric energy sources

Abstract: Linear and energy theory stability criteria are presented for fluid layers of infinite horizontal extent heated internally by a uniform volumetric energy source. The thermal coupling between the layer and its environment is modeled by a general mixed boundary condition in both the conduction state and the disturbance temperature. Rigid-rigid, free-free, free-rigid, and rigid-free boundaries are considered in the computations. For a fixed ratio of upper surface Biot number to that at the lower surface, decreasing the Biot number is strictly destabilizing for both linear and energy theory criteria. A region of possible subcritical instability is found; its size is strongly dependent on Biot number and becomes small for small values of lower surface Biot number and large Biot number ratio. For two rigid surfaces and an upper and lower surface Biot number of 47.5, mean energy transport measurementswithin the convecting layer indicate a critical Reyleigh number close to that predicted by linear theory. Subcritical instability is not observed when finite amplitude disturbances are introduced at a Rayleigh number between the critical values predicted by the linear theory and the energy theory.

On Cellular Cloud Patterns. Part 3: Applicability of the Mathematical and Laboratory Models

Abstract: A nonlinear mathematical model of an unstably stratified layer of fluid with an imposed uniform vertical mass flux γ through porous boundaries has shown that, for Rayleigh number R near its critical value Rc for | γ | ≤ 1, and for Prandtl number Pr > 1.1, open cells are the only stable flow if γ 0; and roll convection is the only stable flow if γ = 0. Laboratory experiments have verified these results and have shown that their range of validity can be extended to | γ | ≈ 2, and R several times Rc. Here these results are applied to the region of sinking air behind cold fronts of mid-latitude cyclones over the oceans. The quasi-geostrophic omega equation is used to compute vertical velocities. An equivalent potential temperature gradient is determined from upper air soundings. Good agreement is found between regions of large-scale descending motion and occurrence of open cells, and between regions of large-scale ascending motion and occurrence of cl...

Natural convective heat transfer from a horizontal cylinder in the presence of nearby walls

Abstract: This work deals with thc influence of unheated vertical walls, symnietrically placed with respect to a single heated horizontal cylinder, upon the natural convection heat transfer froni a heated cylinder. The study is experimental. By using air, water and Frecon 113 as working flnids, a Rayleigh number range of 10 to 500,000 lias been investigated. Various conibiuations of wall spacing and wall height have been examined. Empirical correlations of Nussclt number with Rayleigh nnmber and geometric parameters are presented. The presence of walls enhances heat transfer froni the cylinder for certain geometries. Wall spacings smaller than two diameters have not been investigated. Le present travail a trait a l'inflocnce dc lxirois verticalcs et non cliauffkes (disposkes synikttriquement par rapport h uii sciil cylindre horizontal ct chauffk) siir le transfert de la chaleiir par convection natnrelle A partir du cylinclrc chaiiffit. Dans l'ktude expkrinieiitale, on a employit l'air, I'caii et Ic “Freon 11 3” conime fluides actifs, ainsi que des iioiiibres Kavleigli kchclorin6s entre 10 et 500,000; on a aussi utilist divcrses coiiihinaisoiis dc hauteur dc parois et d'espaceiiiciit entre celles-ci. On prhsente des correlations einpiriquc entrc le nonibre de Niissclt ct celuide Rayleigh et des paranigeometriqiics. La presciice cles parois favorise le transfert de la claleur a piirtir chi cyliiidre dam le c as de certaincs fornies geometriqiics. on n'i pas etudie dcs cspacenieirts entre les parois qui etaient inlkrieurc d la longuciir dc deiix cliaiidtres.