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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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