Journal Article

Structural variety of developing and equilibrium horizontal convection confined in a rectangular vessel resulting from different heating plate arrangements

Terada, T., Noto, D., Miyagoshi, T., Yanagisawa, T., Tasaka, Y.

2023

Overview

Flow structures formed in a rectangular fluid layer with an aspect ratio of four driven by a horizontal temperature gradient along the top boundary, so-called horizontal convection in both developing and equilibrium cases, were investigated via flow visualization using thermochromic liquid crystal microcapsules. Four separated heating panels on the top of the vessel allowed the influence of the heating plate arrangement on the determination of the flow structure to be examined. The velocity vector fields averaged in local space and time showed that the flow structures in the developing cases with an initial stable temperature stratification consisted of shallow circulation beneath the top boundary, with the time development of the structures being independent of the plate arrangement. The number of circulations along the top boundary is associated with locations having horizontal temperature gradients. In the equilibrium state, however, the flow structures are more complex because of the influence of the unstable temperature stratification, which is modified by the circulation. Graphical abstract

• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Aspect ratio / Boundary conditions / Classical and Continuum Physics / Computer Imaging / Convection heating / Electrons / Engineering / Engineering Fluid Dynamics / Engineering Thermodynamics / Equilibrium / Fields (mathematics) / Flow visualization / Heat and Mass Transfer / Liquid crystals / Measurement techniques / Pattern Recognition and Graphics / Rayleigh number / Regular Paper / Stratification / Temperature / Vessels / Vision