Session E26: Rotating Flow II

4:40 PM–6:50 PM, Sunday, November 20, 2011
Room: 329

Chair: Daniel Lathrop, University of Maryland

Abstract ID: BAPS.2011.DFD.E26.9

Abstract: E26.00009 : Non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq effects in rotating Rayleigh-B\'enard convection

6:24 PM–6:37 PM

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Authors:

Susanne Horn
(German Aerospace Center)

Olga Shishkina
(German Aerospace Center)

Claus Wagner
(German Aerospace Center)

We present results from Direct Numerical Simulations of rotating Rayleigh-B\'enard convection in a cylindrical cell with unity aspect ratio for water with a Prandtl number of $Pr = 4.38$ and glycerol with $Pr = 2547.9$ with a special focus on temperature dependent material properties and thus not within the framework of the conventionally used Oberbeck-Boussinesq (OB) approximation. The generated turbulent flow fields are analysed with respect to the deviations from the OB cases. For the non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq cases we obtain a breakdown of the top-bottom symmetry, that is different boundary layer thicknesses, asymmetric velocity flow patterns and modified mean temperature profiles including an increase of the centre temperature and in the case of rotation a diminished temperature gradient within the bulk. Furthermore we find a slightly different scaling of the Nusselt number with the Rayleigh as well as with the Rossby number.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2011.DFD.E26.9