热湍流研究的新十年:从聚焦传统到延伸拓展

热湍流(浮力驱动湍流)作为一种典型的湍流现象,广泛存在于自然界和工程应用中. Rayleigh-Bénard (RB)湍流是从众多自然现象中抽象出来研究热湍流的经典模型, RB湍流的典型特征是系统中存在大尺度环流和羽流等不同尺度的湍流结构,这些结构通过作用于边界层,影响RB湍流的输运效率.因此,明确不同尺度湍流结构的生成、演化和作用机理,对理解RB湍流的输运特性至关重要,也是通过控制湍流结构调控输运效率的科学基础.本文重点从湍流结构的时空演化规律、输运特性、湍流调控和热湍流在其他领域的拓展四个方面评述近十年来RB湍流研究所取得的新进展,并对今后的研究方向做出展望.

Progress in turbulent thermal convection in the past decade and outlook

Turbulent convection is ubiquitous in nature and industry. Turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC) is a model system for studying various turbulent convection phenomena. One of the characteristics of turbulent RBC is the formation of coherent structures of different scales, i.e., large-scale circulation and thermal plumes. These structures interact with the thermal and viscous boundary layers. As a result, they inevitably affect the transport properties of the system. Thus, understanding the formation, evolution, and interaction of coherent structures plays a vital role in understanding the transport properties in turbulent convection. This review summarizes progress in the spatial and temporal evolution of coherent structures and their effects on heat transport in the past decade. Special attention was paid to the progress in controlling turbulent convection and its extension to nontraditional cases, such as turbulent convection with rotation, viscoelastic turbulent convection, multiphase turbulent convection, inclined convection, and horizontal convection. A short outlook into future research directions will be given.