We analyze the reversals of the large-scale flow in Rayleigh-Bénard convection both through particle image velocimetry flow visualization and direct numerical simulations of the underlying Boussinesq equations in a (quasi-) two-dimensional, rectangular geometry of aspect ratio 1. For medium Prandtl number there is a diagonal large-scale convection roll and two smaller secondary rolls in the two remaining corners diagonally opposing each other. These corner-flow rolls play a crucial role for the largescale wind reversal: They grow in kinetic energy and thus also in size thanks to plume detachments from the boundary layers up to the time that they take over the main, large-scale diagonal flow, thus leading to reversal. The Rayleigh vs Prandtl number space is mapped out. The occurrence of reversals sensitively depends on these parameters.
We report an experimental study of structures and dynamics of the large-scale mean flow in Rayleigh–Bénard convection cells with aspect ratio (Γ)1, 1∕2, and 1∕3. It is found that both a single circulating roll flow structure and one with two vertically stacked counter-rotating rolls exist in the three aspect ratio cells. The average percentages of time that the large-scale mean flow spends in the single-roll mode (SRM) and the double-roll mode (DRM) are 87.1% and 0.8% for Γ=1, 69.5% and 7.9% for Γ=1∕2, and 26.7% and 34.1% for Γ=1∕3. Several routes of transitions among the different flow modes are identified. In addition, different structures for the DRM are found and their relative weights are determined. We also show direct evidence that the SRM is more efficient for heat transfer than the DRM. Although the difference is very small, it shows how changes in internal flow state can manifest in the global transport properties of the system. It is also found that the time interval between successive flow mode transitions has an exponential distribution, suggesting a Poisson process for the underlying dynamics. The duration of the flow mode transition is found to be log-normally distributed.
We report an experimental study of the three-dimensional spatial structure of the low-frequency temperature oscillations in a cylindrical Rayleigh-Bénard convection cell. Through simultaneous multipoint temperature measurements it is found that, contrary to the popular scenario, thermal plumes are emitted neither periodically nor alternately, but randomly and continuously, from the top and bottom plates. We further identify a new flow mode-the sloshing mode of the large-scale circulation (LSC). This sloshing mode, together with the torsional mode of the LSC, are found to be the origin of the oscillation of the temperature field.
We present an experimental study of the azimuthal motion of the mean wind in turbulent thermal convection. The experiments were conducted with cylindrical convection cells of unity aspect ratio and over the range of the Rayleigh number from 1 x 10(9) to 1 x 10(10). The azimuthal angle of the circulation plane of the mean wind was measured using both the particle image velocimetry and flow-visualization techniques. It is found that the azimuthal motion consists of erratic fluctuations and a time-periodic oscillation. The orientation of the wind is found to be "locked," i.e., it fluctuates about a preferred direction most of the time with all other orientations appearing as "transient states," and large excursions of the azimuthal angle often result in a net rotation which takes the wind back to the preferred orientation. The rate of erratic rotation of the circulation plane is found to have a strong dependence on Ra. Our result suggests that the oscillatory motion of the wind in its vertically oriented circulation plane and the orientational oscillation of the circulation plane itself have the same dynamic origin.
We report an experimental study on the onset of the large-scale coherent mean flow in Rayleigh-Bénard turbulent convection. Shadowgraph and particle image velocimetry techniques are used to visualize the motion of thermal plumes and measure the velocity of the plumes and of the 'background' flow field, as the fluid motion evolves from quiescent to steady state. The experiment reveals the dynamical origin of the initial horizontal motion required by the large-scale flow: the fluid entrainment caused by the plume's vertical motion generates vortices surrounding the plume itself. These vortices in turn generate the initial horizontal motion of the flow field. Two types of interactions have been identified: (i) direct plume-vortex interaction; and (ii) plumeplume interaction via vortices. These interactions and the interaction and merging of the vortices from neighbouring plumes lead to groupings and/or merging of plumes, which in turn generate vortices of even larger scale. As a result of these interactions, the convective flow evolves into a coherent rotatory motion consisting of mainly the plumes themselves and spanning the whole convection box. This study clearly demonstrates that it is the thermal plumes that initiate the horizontal large-scale flow across the top and bottom conducting plates.
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