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Prandtl number dependence of Nusselt number in direct numerical simulations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2000

ROBERT M. KERR
Affiliation:
Geophysical Turbulence Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307, USA
JACKSON R. HERRING
Affiliation:
Geophysical Turbulence Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307, USA

Abstract

The dependence of the Nusselt number Nu on the Rayleigh Ra and Prandtl Pr number is determined for 104 < Ra < 107 and 0.07 < Pr < 7 using DNS with no-slip upper and lower boundaries and free-slip sidewalls in a 8 × 8 × 2 box. Nusselt numbers, velocity scales and boundary layer thicknesses are calculated. For Nu there are good comparisons with experimental data and scaling laws for all the cases, including Ra2/7 laws at Pr = 0.7 and Pr = 7 and at low Pr, a Ra1/4 regime. Calculations at Pr = 0.3 predict a new NuRa2/7 regime at slightly higher Ra than the Pr = 0.07 calculations reported here and the mercury Pr = 0.025 experiments.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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