Statistics and scaling in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection (Q358281)

This research monograph examines statistical properties and scaling behavior of velocity and temperature fluctuations in three-dimensional turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection. The flow configuration, a closed cell of fluid which is heated from below and cooled from above, is presented together with the governing equations, the Boussinesq approximation, in Chapter 1. Basic statistical tools, like the probability density function together with some exact results for conditional mean are recalled in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 deals with the phenomenological statistical theories of turbulence (Kolmogorov 1941) based on the concept of Richardson's energy cascade. Extensions for passive scalar introduced by Obukhov and Corrsin are also described. The main focus is on the scaling behavior of velocity and temperature fluctuations, first in nonbuoyant turbulent flows and then also in the presence of buoyancy effects. Chapter 4 presents experimental observations of such scaling behavior, and finally, Chapter 5 gives a summary and some outlook for future work. Each chapter contains its own list of references.