Large-scale instabilities in a nonrotating turbulent convection

DOI10.1063/1.2401223zbMATH Open1146.76375arXivastro-ph/0610941OpenAlexW2135250887MaRDI QIDQ3531817FDOQ3531817

T. Elperin, Ilia Golubev, Igor Rogachevskii, Nathan Kleeorin

Publication date: 3 November 2008

Published in: Physics of Fluids (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Formation of large-scale coherent structures in a turbulent convection via excitation of large-scale instability is studied. The redistribution of the turbulent heat flux due to non-uniform large-scale motions plays a crucial role in the formation of the coherent large-scale structures in the turbulent convection. The modification of the turbulent heat flux results in strong reduction of the critical Rayleigh number (based on the eddy viscosity and turbulent temperature diffusivity) required for the excitation of the large-scale instability. The mean-field equations which describe the large-scale instability, are solved numerically. We determine the key parameters that affect formation of the large-scale coherent structures in the turbulent convection. In particular, the degree of thermal anisotropy and the lateral background heat flux strongly modify the growth rates of the large-scale instability, the frequencies of the generated convective-shear waves and change the thresholds required for the excitation of the large-scale instability. This study elucidates the origins of the large-scale circulations and rolls in the atmospheric convective boundary layers and the meso-granular structures in the solar convection.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0610941

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Fluid mechanics (76-XX)

Cites Work

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Cited In (5)

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Large-scale patterns in Rayleigh-Bénard convection
• Azimuthal diffusion of the large-scale-circulation plane, and absence of significant non-Boussinesq effects, in turbulent convection near the ultimate-state transition
• From laminar plumes to organized flows: the onset of large-scale circulation in turbulent thermal convection
• Resolved energy budget of superstructures in Rayleigh–Bénard convection

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