Boundary layer and scaling properties in turbulent thermal convection

Summary We describe an experiment which has been designed to measure both spatial and temporal features of turbulent thermal convection in a fluid layer heated from below. Specifically we have studied the dependence of the heat flowvs. the Rayleigh number, the thermal boundary layer profile, the temperature probability distribution function, the frequency and wave number power spectra. All the results have been compared with recent theories. The relevant scales of the problem, the Bolgiano and dissipative lengths, are also computed as a function of control parameters.     

Logarithmic corrections to finite-size scaling in the four-state Potts model

The leading corrections to finite-size scaling predictions for eigenvalues of the quantum Hamiltonian limit of the critical four-state Potts model are calculated analytically from the Bethe ansatz equations for equivalent eigenstates of a modifiedXXZ chain. Scaled gaps are found to behave for large chain lengthL asx+dL+0[(lnL)^–1], wherex is the anomalous dimension of the associated primary scaling operator. For the gaps associated with the energy and magnetic operators, the values of the amplitudesd are in agreement with predictions of conformai invariance. The implications of these analytical results for the extrapolation of finite lattice data are discussed. Accurate estimates of x andd are found to be extremely difficult even with data available from large lattices,L500.     

On scaling laws in turbulent magnetohydrodynamic Rayleigh-Benard convection

We invoke the concepts of magnetic boundary layer and magnetic Rayleigh number and use the rates of magnetic energy dissipation in the bulk and the boundary layers to derive some scaling laws expressing how the Nusselt number depends on the magnetic Rayleigh number, Prandtl number and magnetic Prandtl number for the simple case of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic Rayleigh-Benard convection in the presence of a uniform vertical magnetic field.     

湍流热对流中的若干问题

对流是自然界中的一种常见现象,与人们的日常生产、生活息息相关。作为湍流和非线性系统的一个简单模型,在20世纪90年代以后,人们对热对流进行了系统而深入的研究。然而,直到现在,人们对湍流热对流的规律和本质仍然所知有限。文章主要从湍流传热、相干结构、大尺度环流和湍流中脉动量的小尺度统计等四个方面,简要地介绍了近年来湍流热对流的一些新进展。     

湍流热对流中的若干问题

对流是自然界中的一种常见现象,与人们的日常生产、生活息息相关。作为湍流和非线性系统的一个简单模型,在20世纪90年代以后,人们对热对流进行了系统而深入的研究。然而,直到现在,人们对湍流热对流的规律和本质仍然所知有限。文章主要从湍流传热、相干结构、大尺度环流和湍流中脉动量的小尺度统计等四个方面,简要地介绍了近年来湍流热对流的一些新进展。     

Studying anomalous scaling and heat transport of turbulent thermal convection using a dynamical model

Turbulent thermal convection is a well-studied problem with various issues of interest. In this paper, we review our work which shows the nature and origin of anomalous scaling and heat transport in the limit of very strong thermal forcing, can be gained by studying a dynamical model, known as shell model, of homogeneous turbulent thermal convection in which buoyancy acts directly at most scales. Specifically, we have obtained two results. The first result is that when buoyancy acts directly at most scales such that the dynamics are governed by a cascade of entropy, the scaling behavior is described by Bolgiano and Obukhov scaling plus corrections that are due to the variations of the local entropy transfer rate. This result indicates the validity of the extension of refined similarity hypothesis to turbulent thermal convection. The second result is that when buoyancy is acting directly at most scales, a damping term acting on the largest scale, which has to be added for the system to achieve stationarity, plays a crucial role in heat transport, and that the heat transport depends on the strength of thermal forcing in the same manner as that predicted for the ultimate state of very strong thermal forcing. With our interpretation of the damping term representing the effect of the boundaries, this result indicates that in the ultimate state of turbulent thermal convection, when buoyancy is acting at most scales, boundaries would play a significant role in heat transport.     

Extraction of plumes in turbulent thermal convection

We present a scheme to extract the velocity of buoyant structures in turbulent thermal convection from simultaneous local velocity and temperature measurements. Applying this scheme to measurements taken at positions within the convection cell where the buoyant structures are dominated by plumes, we obtain the temperature dependence of the plume velocity and understand our results using the equations of motion. We further obtain the scaling behavior of the average local heat flux in the vertical direction at the cell center with the Rayleigh number and find that the scaling exponent is different from that measured for the Nusselt number. This difference leads to the conclusion that heat cannot be mainly transported through the central region of the convection cell.     

Scaling in large Prandtl number turbulent thermal convection

We study the scaling properties of heat transfer Nu in turbulent thermal convection at large Prandtl number Pr using a quasi-linear theory. We show that two regimes arise, depending on the Reynolds number Re. At low Reynolds number, NuPr ^-1/2 and Re are a function of RaPr ^-3/2. At large Reynolds number NuPr ^1/3 and RePr are function only of RaPr ^2/3 (within logarithmic corrections). In practice, since Nu is always close to Ra ^1/3, this corresponds to a much weaker dependence of the heat transfer in the Prandtl number at low Reynolds number than at large Reynolds number. This difference may solve an existing controversy between measurements in SF₆ (large Re) and in alcohol/water (lower Re). We link these regimes with a possible global bifurcation in the turbulent mean flow. We further show how a scaling theory could be used to describe these two regimes through a single universal function. This function presents a bimodal character for intermediate range of Reynolds number. We explain this bimodality in term of two dissipation regimes, one in which fluctuation dominate, and one in which mean flow dominates. Altogether, our results provide a six parameters fit of the curve Nu(Ra, Pr) which may be used to describe all measurements at Pr≥0.7. Received 27 February 2002 / Received in final form 29 May 2002 Published online 31 July 2002     

Plumes and waves in two-dimensional turbulent thermal convection

We have conducted a high-resolution, two-dimensional direct numerical simulation of Rayleigh-Bénard convection with stress-free and periodic boundary conditions at a Rayleigh (Ra) number of 10(8) and Prandtl (Pr) number of unity. An aspect-ratio three box has been considered. A single cell has been used as the initial condition. First, the flow develops into time-dependent convection with a strong asymmetry and highly convoluted thermal plumes delineating a large-scale circulation. Smaller thermal plumes detach from the boundary layer and extend over the entire cell, creating a local inversion of the temperature gradient adjacent to the boundary layers. Then the conditions leading to the formation of internal waves are fulfilled, as the local Richardson number decreases sufficiently small to cross the linear threshold of Ri=0.25. Together with the strong shear, convective rolls with a Kelvin-Helmholtz wavelike character are produced. The secondary boundary layer itself becomes unstable and produces smaller plumes. At later times, the large-scale circulation is destroyed and the internal waves disappear. A Reynolds number, based on the global scale, of Re=500, is attained at this stage. Only isolated thermal plumes and vortices are present. Thus, internal waves can be generated at finite Prandtl number fluids for sufficiently high Ra in the presence of a large-scale circulation. Spectral analysis reveals that the kinetic energy decays with a logarithmic slope of -3, while the logarithmic slope of the thermal variance has a value of around -5 / 3.     

湍流热对流中的动力学和传热研究

文章介绍了湍流热对流中流动结构和动力学的实验研究. 本文作者通过流动示标和粒子成像测速系统（PIV）的测量,清晰地揭示了对流系统的三维流动结构,发现大尺度环流的角向运动在不同的时间尺度上有不同的表现. 通过统计分析,本文作者进一步发现大尺度环流方位角的变化具有布朗棘齿的特性,并且从实验上证明在湍流热对流系统中不同的流动模式的确可以得到不同的传热效率.     

湍流热对流中的动力学和传热研究

文章介绍了湍流热对流中流动结构和动力学的实验研究．本文作者通过流动示标和粒子成像测速系统（PIV）的测量，清晰地揭示了对流系统的三维流动结构，发现大尺度环流的角向运动在不同的时间尺度上有不同的表现．通过统计分析，本文作者进一步发现大尺度环流方位角的变化具有布朗棘齿的特性，并且从实验上证明在湍流热对流系统中不同的流动模式的确可以得到不同的传热效率．     

Logarithmic corrections to entropy and AdS/CFT

We calculate the correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula for five-dimensional AdS-Schwarzschild black holes due to thermodynamic fluctuations. The result is then compared with the boundary gauge theory entropy corrections via AdS/CFT correspondence.     

湍流热对流Prandtl数效应的数值研究

本文采用直接数值模拟的并行直接求解方法,计算了Ra=10~(10),0.05≤Pr≤20的系列Prandtl(Pr)数二维湍流热对流.通过流动显示技术,讨论了Pr数对羽流形态和大尺度环流结构的影响.在Ra=10~(10)时,随着Pr数减小,羽流的运动和分布表现出更强的湍流性质,较高Pr数的羽流则表现出较强的规律性,当Pr4.3时,流场中存在明显的大尺度环流和角涡结构.不同Pr数的温度边界层厚度差异不大,并随Pr数存在标度率变化关系.当Pr数较低时,系统的传热Nusselt(Nu)数随着Pr数增加而增加,当Pr数较高时,Nu数随Pr数的变化不敏感.靠近底板处速度脉动随Pr数有显著的变化,Pr数越低速度波动越剧烈.通过底板中心位置水平脉动速度和平均场水平速度最大值给出的雷诺数Re_((u))和Re_(U_(max)),两种Re数随Pr数的变化满足同一标度律,为Re～Pr~(-0.81).     

Logarithmic scaling and spontaneous breaking

Indecomposable representations of dilatations allow for logarithms in scale invariant operator product expansion. We prove that in absence of spontaneous breaking, they are incompatible with conformal invariance and positivity.     

Mass corrections to scaling in deep inelastic processes

We study subasymptotic hadron target and quark-parton mass corrections to scaling in deep inelastic scattering, ignoring interactions. The results can be summarized using a modified scaling variable common to parton, light-cone and short-distance operator product expansion formalisms, but with model-dependent spectral conditions. The analysis is expected to break down near the kinematic boundaries because of the bound state nature of hadrons. Related effects probably also dominate mass corrections due to very light quarks, but the analysis should be applicable to the production of new heavy quarks in neutrino production. Experimental deviations from scaling in deep inelastic electroproduction do not seem to be describable in terms of mass corrections alone, suggesting that interaction effects may be important at large momentum transfers as suggested by the renormalization group.     

Formation of the "superconducting" core in turbulent thermal convection

A sinusoidal temperature perturbation is superimposed on the bottom plate of a cylindrical convection cell, and its decay is measured at the cell midheight. Rayleigh numbers up to Ra=10(13) and aspect ratios 1 and 4 are considered. The technique allows a dynamic measurement of the height of the layer interposed between the superconducting core and the boundary. This deduced height is in good agreement with results from recent numerical simulations.     

Momentum transport and torque scaling in Taylor-Couette flow from an analogy with turbulent convection

We generalize an analogy between rotating and stratified shear flows. This analogy is summarized in Table 1. We use this analogy in the unstable case (centrifugally unstable flow vs. convection) to compute the torque in Taylor-Couette configuration, as a function of the Reynolds number. At low Reynolds numbers, when most of the dissipation comes from the mean flow, we predict that the non-dimensional torque G = T/ν² L, where L is the cylinder length, scales with Reynolds number R and gap width η, G = 1.46η^3/2(1 - η)^-7/4 R ^3/2. At larger Reynolds number, velocity fluctuations become non-negligible in the dissipation. In these regimes, there is no exact power law dependence the torque versus Reynolds. Instead, we obtain logarithmic corrections to the classical ultra-hard (exponent 2) regimes: G = 0.50 . These predictions are found to be in excellent agreement with avail-able experimental data. Predictions for scaling of velocity fluctuations are also provided. Received 7 June 2001 and Received in final form 7 December 2001