Three-dimensional free convection in molten gallium

Convective flow of molten gallium is studied in a small-aspect-ratio rectangular, differentially heated enclosure. The three-dimensional nature of the steady flow is clearly demonstrated by quantitative comparison between experimental temperature measurements, which give an indication of the strength of the convective flow, and the results of numerical simulations. The three-dimensional flow structure is characterized by cross-flows which are an order of magnitude smaller than the main circulation, and spread from the endwall regions to the entire enclosure when the Grashof number is increased beyond Gr = 104. The mergence of these effects in the centre of the enclosure leads to a complex central divergent flow structure which underpins the observed transition to oscillatory convection.

[1]  D. Henry,et al.  Two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations of the transition to oscillatory convection in low-Prandtl-number fluids , 1998, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[2]  J. E. Hart,et al.  Stability of Thin Non-Rotating Hadley Circulations , 1972 .

[3]  P. Simpkins,et al.  Onset of multicellular convection in a shallow laterally heated cavity , 1987, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[4]  J. Hart.  Low Prandtl number convection between differentially heated end walls , 1983 .

[5]  D. T. J. Hurle,et al.  Convective temperature oscillations in molten gallium , 1974, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[6]  G. de Vahl Davis,et al.  Three-Dimensional Convection in Horizontal Cylinders: Numerical Solutions and Comparison with Experimental and Analytical Results , 1985 .

[7]  John E. Hart,et al.  A note on the stability of low-Prandtl-number Hadley circulations , 1983, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[8]  Jean N. Koster,et al.  Numerical simulation of natural convection of gallium in a narrow gap , 1997 .

[9]  S. Korpela,et al.  Stability and finite amplitude natural convection in a shallow cavity with insulated top and bottom and heated from a side , 1988 .

[10]  Daniel Henry,et al.  Numerical study of convection in the horizontal Bridgman configuration under the action of a constant magnetic field. Part 1. Two-dimensional flow , 1997, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[11]  Anne C. Skeldon,et al.  Free convection in liquid gallium , 1997, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[12]  C. Andereck,et al.  Transitions in convection driven by a horizontal temperature gradient , 1988 .

[13]  D. E. Cormack,et al.  Natural convection in a shallow cavity with differentially heated end walls. Part 1. Asymptotic theory , 1974, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[14]  T. Mullin,et al.  Magnetohydrodynamic convection in molten gallium , 1999, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[15]  G. Schiroky.  Free Convection of Gases in a Horizontal Cylinder with Differentially Heated End Walls - a Study by Laser Doppler Anemometry. , 1984 .

[16]  C. L. Tien,et al.  Laminar Natural Convection Heat Transfer in a Horizontal Cavity with Different End Temperatures , 1978 .

[17]  H. Benhadid.  Numerical study of convection in the horizontal Bridgman configuration under the action of a constant magnetic field. Part 2. Three-dimensional flow , 1997, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[18]  A. Bejan,et al.  Fully developed natural counterflow in a long horizontal pipe with different end temperatures , 1978 .

[19]  Claude Bernard-Lyon.  Numerical study of convection in the horizontal Bridgman conguration under the action of a constant magnetic eld. Part 2. Three-dimensional flow , 1997 .

[20]  A. E. Gill.  A theory of thermal oscillations in liquid metals , 1974, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[21]  B. Roux,et al.  Convection in the vertical midplane of a horizontal cylinder Comparison of two-dimensional approximations with three-dimensional results , 1986 .

[22]  Seppo A. Korpela,et al.  Natural convection in a shallow cavity , 1987, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[23]  Numerical Simulation of Oscillatory Convection in Low Pr-Fluids , 1990 .