Nonlinear thermal convection with finite conducting boundaries

1985 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Riahi
Keyword(s):  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Prandtl Number ◽  
Thermal Convection ◽  
Perturbation Technique ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Horizontal Layer ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Convection Pattern ◽  
Square Cells

Finite-amplitude thermal convection in a horizontal layer with finite conducting boundaries is investigated. The nonlinear steady problem is solved by a perturbation technique, and the preferred mode of convection is determined by a stability analysis. Square cells are found to be the preferred form of convection in a semi-infinite three-dimensional region Ω in the (γb,γt, P)-space (γb and γt are the ratios of the thermal conductivities of the lower and upper boundaries to that of the fluid and P is the Prandtl number). Two-dimensional rolls are found to be the preferred convection pattern outside Ω. The dependence on γb, γt and P of the heat transported by convection is computed for the various solutions analysed in the paper.

scholarly journals Finite amplitude thermal convection with spatially modulated boundary temperatures

1995 ◽  
Vol 449 (1937) ◽  
pp. 459-478 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Thermal Convection ◽  
Fluid Layer ◽  
Perturbation Technique ◽  
Lower Boundary ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Resonant Wavelength ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Solution ◽  
One Dimensional

Finite amplitude thermal convection in a fluid layer between two horizontal walls with different fixed mean temperatures is considered when spatially modulated temperatures with amplitudes L 1 * and L u * are prescribed at the lower and upper walls, respectively. The nonlinear steady problem is solved by a perturbation technique, and the preferred mode of convection is determined by a stability analysis. In the case of a resonant wavelength excitation, regular or non-regular multi-modal pattern convection can be preferred for some ranges of L 1 * and L u *, provided the wave vectors for such patterns are contained in a certain subset of the wave vectors representing a linear combination of modulated upper and lower boundary temperatures. In the case of non-resonant wavelength excitation, a three (two) dimensional solution in the form of multi-modal (rolls) pattern convection can be preferred, even if the boundary modulations are one (two) or two (one) dimensional, provided the wavelengths of the modulations are not too small. Heat transported by convection can be enhanced by boundary modulations in some ranges of L 1 * and L u *.

scholarly journals Finite amplitude thermal convection with variable gravity

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-165
Author(s):  
D. N. Riahi ◽  
Albert T. Hsui
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Convection ◽  
Perturbation Technique ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Convective Motion ◽  
Horizontal Layer ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Order Unity ◽  
Onset Condition ◽  
Variable Gravity

Finite amplitude thermal convection is studied in a horizontal layer of infinite Prandtl number fluid with a variable gravity. For the present study, gravity is restricted to vary quadratically with respect to the vertical variable. A perturbation technique based on a small parameter, which is a measure of the ratio of the vertical to horizontal dimensions of the convective cells, is employed to determine the finite amplitude steady solutions. These solutions are represented in terms of convective modes whose amplitudes can be either small or of order unity. Stability of these solutions is investigated with respect to three dimensional disturbances. A variable gravity function introduces two non-dimensional parameters. For certain range of values of these two parameters, double or triple cellular structure in the vertical direction can be realized. Hexagonal patterns are preferred for sufficiently small amplitude of convection, while square patterns can become dominant for larger values of the convective amplitude. Variable gravity can also affect significantly the wavelength of the cellular pattern and the onset condition of the convective motion.

On the existence of three-dimensional convection in a rectangular box containing fluid-saturated porous material

1978 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe M. Straus ◽  
Gerald Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Porous Material ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Steady Motion ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Stable Forms ◽  
Rayleigh Numbers ◽  
Convective Rolls ◽  
Box Dimensions

On the basis of a stability analysis of finite amplitude, two-dimensional convection, we have determined the dimensions of boxes containing fluid-saturated porous material in which convection is necessarily unsteady or steady and three-dimensional. For certain box sizes, convective rolls are unstable at Rayleigh numbers Ra lower than 380, the value below which rolls are stable forms of convection between infinite parallel planes. For Ra = 100 and 200, it appears unlikely that there are any box dimensions for which there is not a stable (possibly multicellular) two-dimensional steady motion. At Ra = 340 and 400, boxes in which rolls are unstable have heights which range from one to five times their horizontal dimensions.

Three-dimensional instabilities of steady double-diffusive interleaving

2000 ◽  
Vol 418 ◽  
pp. 297-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLIVER S. KERR
Keyword(s):  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Dimensional Stability ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Secondary Instability ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Salinity Gradients ◽  
Secondary Instabilities ◽  
Double Diffusive

A stratified body of fluid with compensating horizontal temperature and salinity gradients can undergo an interleaving instability which takes the form of almost horizontal intrusions. As the amplitude of these intrusions grows they can undergo secondary instabilities which eventually leads to the mixing of the fluid in the interior of the intrusions. A previous study of the secondary instabilities focused on two-dimensional disturbances. These corresponded to experimental observations of that time which all seemed to indicate that flows were indeed two-dimensional. Some more recent experiments have shown that the initial secondary instability can make the flow three-dimensional, with the secondary instabilities taking the form of rolls with their axes aligned with the direction of the flow in the intrusions. Here we present a three dimensional stability analysis of steady finite-amplitude intrusions and look at the circumstances which can lead to the three-dimensional instabilities being more likely to be observed.

Nonlinear properties of convection rolls in a horizontal layer rotating about a vertical axis

1979 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 609-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Clever ◽  
F. H. Busse
Keyword(s):  
Rotation Rate ◽  
Fluid Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Horizontal Layer ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Nonlinear Properties ◽  
Prandtl Numbers ◽  
The Galerkin Method

Steady finite amplitude two-dimensional solutions are obtained for the problem of convection in a horizontal fluid layer heated from below and rotating about its vertical axis. Rigid boundaries with prescribed constant temperatures are assumed and the solutions are obtained numerically by the Galerkin method. The existence of steady subcritical finite amplitude solutions is demonstrated for Prandtl numbers P < 1. A stability analysis of the finite amplitude solutions is performed by superimposing arbitrary three-dimensional disturbances. A strong reduction in the domain of stable rolls occurs as the rotation rate is increased. The reduction is most pronounced at low Prandtl numbers. The numerical analysis confirms the small amplitude results of Küppers & Lortz (1969) that all two-dimensional solutions become unstable when the dimensionless rotation rate Ω exceeds a value of about 27 at P ≃ ∞. A brief discussion is given of the three-dimensional time-dependent forms of convection which are realized at rotation rates exceeding the critical value.

The transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional planforms in infinite-Prandtl-number thermal convection

1990 ◽  
Vol 216 ◽  
pp. 71-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Travis ◽  
Peter Olson ◽  
Gerald Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Prandtl Number ◽  
Time Dependence ◽  
Thermal Convection ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Random Initial Conditions ◽  
The Stability

The stability of two-dimensional thermal convection in an infinite-Prandtl-number fluid layer with zero-stress boundaries is investigated using numerical calculations in three-dimensional rectangles. At low Rayleigh numbers (Ra < 20000) calculations of the stability of two-dimensional rolls to cross-roll disturbances are in agreement with the predictions of Bolton & Busse for a fluid with a large but finite Prandtl number. Within the range 2 × 104 < Ra [les ] 5 × 105, steady rolls with basic wavenumber α > 2.22 (aspect ratio < 1.41) are stable solutions. Two-dimensional rolls with basic wavenumber α < 1.96 (aspect ratio > 1.6) are time dependent for Ra > 4 × 104. For every case in which the initial condition was a time-dependent large-aspect-ratio roll, two-dimensional convection was found to be unstable to three-dimensional convection. Time-dependent rolls are replaced by either bimodal or knot convection in cases where the horizontal dimensions of the rectangular box are less than twice the depth. The bimodal planforms are steady states for Ra [les ] 105, but one case at Ra = 5 × 105 exhibits time dependence in the form of pulsating knots. Calculations at Ra = 105 in larger domains resulted in fully three-dimensional cellular planforms. A steady-state square planform was obtained in a 2.4 × 2.4 × 1 rectangular box. started from random initial conditions. Calculations in a 3 × 3 × 1 box produced steady hexagonal cells when started from random initial conditions, and a rectangular planform when started from a two-dimensional roll. An hexagonal planform started in a 3.5 × 3.5 × 1 box at Ra = 105 exhibited oscillatory time dependence, including boundary-layer instabilities and pulsating plumes. Thus, the stable planform in three-dimensional convection is sensitive to the size of the rectangular domain and the initial conditions. The sensitivity of heat transfer to planform variations is less than 10%.

scholarly journals Sheared free-surface flow over three-dimensional obstructions of finite amplitude

2019 ◽  
Vol 878 ◽  
pp. 740-767
Author(s):  
Andreas H. Akselsen ◽  
Simen Å. Ellingsen
Keyword(s):  
Perturbation Technique ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Free Surface Flow ◽  
Radiation Condition ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Current Profile ◽  
Bottom Boundary Condition ◽  
Lord Kelvin

When shallow water flows over uneven bathymetry, the water surface is modulated. This type of problem has been revisited numerous times since it was first studied by Lord Kelvin in 1886. Our study analytically examines currents whose unperturbed velocity profile $U(z)$ follows a power law $z^{q}$, flowing over a three-dimensional uneven bed. This particular form of $U$, which can model a miscellany of realistic flows, allows explicit analytical solutions. Arbitrary bed shapes can readily be imposed via Fourier’s theorem provided their steepness is moderate. Three-dimensional vorticity–bathymetry interaction effects are evident when the flow makes an oblique angle with a sinusoidally corrugated bed. Streamlines are found to twist and the fluid particle drift is redirected away from the direction of the unperturbed current. Furthermore, a perturbation technique is developed which satisfies the bottom boundary condition to arbitrary order also for large-amplitude obstructions which penetrate well into the current profile. This introduces higher-order harmonics of the bathymetry amplitude. States of resonance for first- and higher-order harmonics are readily calculated. Although the method is theoretically restricted to bathymetries of moderate inclination, a wide variety of steeper obstructions are satisfactorily represented by the method, even provoking occurrences of recirculation. All expressions are analytically explicit and sequential fast Fourier transformations ensure quick and easy computation for arbitrary three-dimensional bathymetries. A method for separating near and far fields ensures computational convergence under the appropriate radiation condition.

scholarly journals Two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations of the transition to oscillatory convection in low-Prandtl-number fluids

1998 ◽  
Vol 374 ◽  
pp. 145-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL HENRY ◽  
MARC BUFFAT
Keyword(s):  
Prandtl Number ◽  
Relative Concentration ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Hadley Circulation ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
General Behaviour ◽  
Shallow Cavities ◽  
Dependent Flow

The convective flows which arise in shallow cavities filled with low-Prandtl-number fluids when subjected to a horizontal temperature gradient are studied numerically with a finite element method. Attention is focused on a rigid cavity with dimensions 4×2×1, for which experimental data are available. The three-dimensional results indicate that, after a relative concentration of the initial Hadley circulation, a transition to time-dependent flows occurs in the form of a roll oscillation with a purely dynamical origin. This transition corresponds to a Hopf bifurcation with a breaking of symmetry that gives some specific properties to the time evolution of the flow: these properties are shown to be the result of the general behaviour of the dynamical systems. Calculations performed in the case of mercury compare well with the experiments with similar power spectra of the temperature, and this validates the analysis of the nature of the global flow performed in the limiting case Pr=0. All these results are discussed with respect to the linear and nonlinear analyses and to other computational experiments. Numerical results obtained in the corresponding two-dimensional situation give a different transition to the time-dependent flow: it is shown that in the three-dimensional cavity this type of two-dimensional transition is less probable than the observed transition with breaking of symmetry.

The anatomy of the mixing transition in homogeneous and stratified free shear layers

2000 ◽  
Vol 413 ◽  
pp. 1-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. CAULFIELD ◽  
W. R. PELTIER
Keyword(s):  
Shear Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Streamwise Vortex ◽  
Shear Layers ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Streamwise Vortices ◽  
Free Shear Layers ◽  
Nonlinear Amplification

We investigate the detailed nature of the ‘mixing transition’ through which turbulence may develop in both homogeneous and stratified free shear layers. Our focus is upon the fundamental role in transition, and in particular the associated ‘mixing’ (i.e. small-scale motions which lead to an irreversible increase in the total potential energy of the flow) that is played by streamwise vortex streaks, which develop once the primary and typically two-dimensional Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) billow saturates at finite amplitude.Saturated KH billows are susceptible to a family of three-dimensional secondary instabilities. In homogeneous fluid, secondary stability analyses predict that the stream-wise vortex streaks originate through a ‘hyperbolic’ instability that is localized in the vorticity braids that develop between billow cores. In sufficiently strongly stratified fluid, the secondary instability mechanism is fundamentally different, and is associated with convective destabilization of the statically unstable sublayers that are created as the KH billows roll up.We test the validity of these theoretical predictions by performing a sequence of three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of shear layer evolution, with the flow Reynolds number (defined on the basis of shear layer half-depth and half the velocity difference) Re = 750, the Prandtl number of the fluid Pr = 1, and the minimum gradient Richardson number Ri(0) varying between 0 and 0.1. These simulations quantitatively verify the predictions of our stability analysis, both as to the spanwise wavelength and the spatial localization of the streamwise vortex streaks. We track the nonlinear amplification of these secondary coherent structures, and investigate the nature of the process which actually triggers mixing. Both in stratified and unstratified shear layers, the subsequent nonlinear amplification of the initially localized streamwise vortex streaks is driven by the vertical shear in the evolving mean flow. The two-dimensional flow associated with the primary KH billow plays an essentially catalytic role. Vortex stretching causes the streamwise vortices to extend beyond their initially localized regions, and leads eventually to a streamwise-aligned collision between the streamwise vortices that are initially associated with adjacent cores.It is through this collision of neighbouring streamwise vortex streaks that a final and violent finite-amplitude subcritical transition occurs in both stratified and unstratified shear layers, which drives the mixing process. In a stratified flow with appropriate initial characteristics, the irreversible small-scale mixing of the density which is triggered by this transition leads to the development of a third layer within the flow of relatively well-mixed fluid that is of an intermediate density, bounded by narrow regions of strong density gradient.

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