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Abstracts - KTH Mechanics

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Coherent Large-Scale Structures and Hysteresis in Turbulent<br />

Convection<br />

A. Eidelman, T. Elperin, N. Kleeorin, I. Rogachevskii,<br />

I. Sapir-Katiraie<br />

Department of Mechanical Engineering<br />

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev<br />

POB 653, Beer-Sheva 84105<br />

ISRAEL<br />

We studied theoretically and experimentally coherent large-scale circulations (semiorganized<br />

structures) in turbulent convection in an air flow in a rectangular chamber.<br />

Particle Image Velocimetry was used to determine the turbulent and mean velocity<br />

fields, and a specially designed temperature probe with twelve sensitive<br />

thermocouples was employed to measure the temperature field. We found the<br />

hysteresis phenomenon in turbulent convection by varying the temperature difference<br />

between the hot bottom wall and cold top wall of the chamber. The hysteresis loop<br />

comprises the one-cell and two-cells flow patterns while the aspect ratio is kept<br />

constant. We developed a new mean-field theory of turbulent convection. In a shearfree<br />

turbulent convection this theory predicts the convective wind instability which<br />

causes formation of large-scale semi-organized fluid motions in the form of cells. The<br />

developed theory of formation of semi-organized structures in turbulent convection is<br />

in agreement with the experimental observations. The observed coherent structures<br />

are superimposed on a small-scale turbulent convection. Thermal structure inside the<br />

large-scale circulations is neither homogeneous nor isotropic. The warm thermal<br />

plumes accumulate at one side of the large-scale circulation, and cold plumes<br />

accumulate at the opposite side of the large-scale circulation. The redistribution of the<br />

heat flux plays a crucial role in the formation of coherent large-scale circulations in<br />

turbulent convection. Predictions of the developed theory are also in a good<br />

agreement with the observed semi-organized structures in the atmospheric turbulent<br />

convection.<br />

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