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Supergranule aggregation: a Prandtl number-independent feature of constant heat flux-driven convection flows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2024

Philipp P. Vieweg Open the ORCID record for Philipp P. Vieweg [Opens in a new window]
Philipp P. Vieweg*
Affiliation:
Institute of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Postfach 100565, D-98684 Ilmenau, Germany
*
†Email address for correspondence: [email protected]
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Abstract

Supergranule aggregation, i.e. the gradual aggregation of convection cells to horizontally extended networks of flow structures, is a unique feature of constant heat flux-driven turbulent convection. In the present study, we address the question if this mechanism of self-organisation of the flow is present for any fluid. Therefore, we analyse three-dimensional Rayleigh–Bénard convection at a fixed Rayleigh number ${Ra} \approx 2.0 \times 10^{5}$ across $4$ orders of Prandtl numbers ${Pr} \in [10^{-2}, 10^{2}]$ by means of direct numerical simulations in horizontally extended periodic domains with aspect ratio $\varGamma = 60$. Our study confirms the omnipresence of the mechanism of supergranule aggregation for the entire range of investigated fluids. Moreover, we analyse the effect of ${Pr}$ on the global heat and momentum transport, and clarify the role of a potential stable stratification in the bulk of the fluid layer. The ubiquity of the investigated mechanism of flow self-organisation underlines its relevance for pattern formation in geophysical and astrophysical convection flows, the latter of which are often driven by prescribed heat fluxes.

JFM classification

Turbulent Flows: Turbulent convection Nonlinear Dynamical Systems: Pattern formation Convection: Buoyancy-driven instability
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 980 , 10 February 2024 , A46
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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