Convection in a box: linear theory

1967 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen H. Davis

The linear stability of a quiescent, three-dimensional rectangular box of fluid heated from below is considered. It is found that finite rolls (cells with two non-zero velocity components dependent on all three spatial variables) with axes parallel to the shorter side are predicted. When the depth is the shortest dimension, the cross-sections of these finite rolls are near-square, but otherwise (in wafer-shaped boxes) narrower cells appear. The value of the critical Rayleigh number and preferred wave-number (number of finite rolls) for a given size box is determined for boxes with horizontal dimensions h, ¼ ≤ h/d ≤ 6, where d is the depth.

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouya Amili ◽  
Yanis C. Yortsos

Abstract We study the linear stability of a two-phase heat pipe zone (vapor-liquid counterflow) in a porous medium, overlying a superheated vapor zone. The competing effects of gravity, condensation and heat transfer on the stability of a planar base state are analyzed in the linear stability limit. The rate of growth of unstable disturbances is expressed in terms of the wave number of the disturbance, and dimensionless numbers, such as the Rayleigh number, a dimensionless heat flux and other parameters. A critical Rayleigh number is identified and shown to be different than in natural convection under single phase conditions. The results find applications to geothermal systems, to enhanced oil recovery using steam injection, as well as to the conditions of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. This study complements recent work of the stability of boiling by Ramesh and Torrance (1993).


1996 ◽  
Vol 326 ◽  
pp. 399-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wanschura ◽  
H. C. Kuhlmann ◽  
H. J. Rath

The stability of steady axisymmetric convection in cylinders heated from below and insulated laterally is investigated numerically using a mixed finite-difference/Chebyshev collocation method to solve the base flow and the linear stability equations. Linear stability boundaries are given for radius to height ratios γ from 0.9 to 1.56 and for Prandtl numbers Pr = 0.02 and Pr = 1. Depending on γ and Pr, the azimuthal wavenumber of the critical mode may be m = 1, 2, 3, or 4. The dependence of the critical Rayleigh number on the aspect ratio and the instability mechanisms are explained by analysing the energy transfer to the critical modes for selected cases. In addition to these results the onset of buoyant convection in liquid bridges with stress-free conditions on the cylindrical surface is considered. For insulating thermal boundary conditions, the onset of convection is never axisymmetric and the critical azimuthal wavenumber increases monotonically with γ. The critical Rayleigh number is less then 1708 for most aspect ratios.


Author(s):  
Vodounnou Edmond Claude ◽  
Ahouannou Clément ◽  
Semassou Guy Clarence ◽  
Sanya A. Emile ◽  
Dègan Gérard

The present study deals with the linear stability of an anisotropic porous medium in rotation, saturated by a non-Newtonian fluid in a rectangular cavity heated on the side, subjected to the effect of the centrifugal force. The state of marginal stability is established by determining the critical Rayleigh number and the critical wave number. We have observed the effect of the parameters  and  of the anisotropy on the convection threshold.


Detailed quantitative values are obtained for the critical values of the salt Rayleigh number for both linear and nonlinear stability, for a simplified model appropriate to the onset of buoyant, relatively fresh water motion in a layer of salty subsea sediments. The geophysical problem that motivates this work arises because of the formation of substantial permafrost around the Earth’s shores some 18000 years ago. With the rise of sea levels the permafrost has responded to the relatively warm and salty sea, which has created a thawing front and a layer of salty sediments beneath the sea bed. This phenomenon has been studied extensively off the coast of Alaska by W. Harrison and coworkers and our analysis is based on a model developed by W. Harrison and D. Swift. From the mathematical viewpoint the analysis reduces to studying convection in a porous medium with a nonlinear boundary condition. We find the critical Rayleigh number for convection according to linear theory, but our main thrust is directed toward the nonlinear problem. Here we use an energy method to determine a critical Rayleigh number below which convection cannot develop. We first show there is a critical Rayleigh number close to that of linear theory, which guarantees unconditional nonlinear stability. Then we demonstrate conditional nonlinear stability (i. e. conditional upon the existence of some finite threshold amplitude, which we calculate) provided the critical Rayleigh number of linear theory is not exceeded. The latter analysis requires two approaches according to whether the two-dimensional or three-dimensional problem is considered. In particular, a novel energy has to be introduced to make the three-dimensional problem tractable.


1997 ◽  
Vol 350 ◽  
pp. 271-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAUL MATTHEWS ◽  
STEPHEN COX

In many geophysical and astrophysical contexts, thermal convection is influenced by both rotation and an underlying shear flow. The linear theory for thermal convection is presented, with attention restricted to a layer of fluid rotating about a horizontal axis, and plane Couette flow driven by differential motion of the horizontal boundaries.The eigenvalue problem to determine the critical Rayleigh number is solved numerically assuming rigid, fixed-temperature boundaries. The preferred orientation of the convection rolls is found, for different orientations of the rotation vector with respect to the shear flow. For moderate rates of shear and rotation, the preferred roll orientation depends only on their ratio, the Rossby number.It is well known that rotation alone acts to favour rolls aligned with the rotation vector, and to suppress rolls of other orientations. Similarly, in a shear flow, rolls parallel to the shear flow are preferred. However, it is found that when the rotation vector and shear flow are parallel, the two effects lead counter-intuitively (as in other, analogous convection problems) to a preference for oblique rolls, and a critical Rayleigh number below that for Rayleigh–Bénard convection.When the boundaries are poorly conducting, the eigenvalue problem is solved analytically by means of an asymptotic expansion in the aspect ratio of the rolls. The behaviour of the stability problem is found to be qualitatively similar to that for fixed-temperature boundaries.Fully nonlinear numerical simulations of the convection are also carried out. These are generally consistent with the linear stability theory, showing convection in the form of rolls near the onset of motion, with the appropriate orientation. More complicated states are found further from critical.


2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-104
Author(s):  
Sung-Ja Kang ◽  
Youn-Ju Kee ◽  
Kyungmin Clara Lee

ABSTRACT Objectives The need for intraoral scanning in the presence of brackets has increased for monitoring tooth movement during orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of orthodontic brackets bonded to tooth surfaces on intraoral scans. Materials and Methods Intraoral scans were performed in 30 patients using both iTero and Trios scanners before and after bonding of the brackets. The two sets of intraoral scans of each patient and intraoral scans with and without brackets were superimposed using a best-fit algorithm, and three-dimensional (3D) surface analysis was performed. In each superimposition, discrepancies in the 3D axes and arch-width measurements in the incisor and molar regions were compared. In addition, the range of distortion around the brackets was evaluated on the cross sections of each superimposition. Results The overall discrepancies between the intraoral scans with and without brackets were within 0.30 mm. The arch-width discrepancies in the molar region were greater than those in the incisor region, but the differences were not statistically significant (P = .972 for iTero; P = .960 for Trios). The cross sections of the superimposed intraoral scans with and without brackets showed that the deviations were within 0.40 mm in the horizontal section and within 0.35 mm in the vertical section around the brackets. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that the accuracy of intraoral scans, even in the presence of brackets, is clinically acceptable, and the regions beyond 0.50 mm around the brackets should be used for superimposition on images without brackets.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 795-819
Author(s):  
P. E. WESTWOOD ◽  
F. T. SMITH

The theoretical investigation here of a three-dimensional array of jets of fluid (air guns) and their interference is motivated by applications to the food sorting industry especially. Three-dimensional motion without symmetry is addressed for arbitrary jet cross-sections and incident velocity profiles. Asymptotic analysis based on the comparatively long axial length scale of the configuration leads to a reduced longitudinal vortex system providing a slender flow model for the complete array response. Analytical and numerical studies, along with comparisons and asymptotic limits or checks, are presented for various cross-sectional shapes of nozzle and velocity inputs. The influences of swirl and of unsteady jets are examined. Substantial cross-flows are found to occur due to the interference. The flow solution is non-periodic in the cross-plane even if the nozzle array itself is periodic. The analysis shows that in general the bulk of the three-dimensional motion can be described simply in a cross-plane problem but the induced flow in the cross-plane is sensitively controlled by edge effects and incident conditions, a feature which applies to any of the array configurations examined. Interference readily alters the cross-flow direction and misdirects the jets. Design considerations centre on target positioning and jet swirling.


2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 899-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Swamy

Abstract In the present work the linear stability analysis of double diffusive convection in a binary fluid layer is performed. The major intention of this study is to investigate the influence of time-periodic vertical vibrations on the onset threshold. A regular perturbation method is used to compute the critical Rayleigh number and wave number. A closed form expression for the shift in the critical Rayleigh number is calculated as a function of frequency of modulation, the solute Rayleigh number, Lewis number, and Prandtl number. These parameters are found to have a significant influence on the onset criterion; therefore the effective control of convection is achieved by proper tuning of these parameters. Vertical vibrations are found to enhance the stability of a binary fluid layer heated and salted from below. The results of this study are useful in the areas of crystal growth in micro-gravity conditions and also in material processing industries where vertical vibrations are involved


1967 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. H. Roberts

A theoretical study has been made of an experiment by Tritton & Zarraga (1967) in which eonvective motions were generated in a horizontal layer of water (cooled from above) by the application of uniform heating. The marginal stability problem for such a layer is solved, and a critical Rayleigh number of 2772 is obtained, at which patterns of wave-number 2·63 times the reciprocal depth of the layer are marginally stable.The remainder of the paper is devoted to the finite amplitude convection which ensues when the Rayleigh number, R, exceeds 2772. The theory is approximate, the basic simplification being that, to an adequate approximation, Fourier decompositions of the convective motions in the horizontal (x, y) directions can be represented by their dominant (planform) terms alone. A discussion is given of this hypothesis, with illustrations drawn from the (better studied) Bénard situation of convection in a layer heated below, cooled from above, and containing no heat sources. The hypothesis is then used to obtain ‘mean-field equations’ for the convection. These admit solutions of at least three distinct forms: rolls, hexagons with upward flow at their centres, and hexagons with downward flow at their centres. Using the hypothesis again, the stability of these three solutions is examined. It is shown that, for all R, a (neutrally) stable form of convection exists in the form of rolls. The wave-number of this pattern increases gradually with R. This solution is, in all respects, independent of Prandtl number. It is found, numerically, that the hexagons with upward motions in their centres are unstable, but that the hexagons with downward motions at their centres are completely stable, provided R exceeds a critical value (which depends on Prandtl number, P, and which for water is about 3Rc), and provided the wave-number of the pattern lies within certain limits dependent on R and P.


Author(s):  
Saneshan Govender

In both pure fluids and porous media, the density gradient becomes unstable and fluid motion (convection) occurs when the critical Rayleigh number is exceeded. The classical stability analysis no longer applies if the Rayleigh number is time dependant, as found in systems where the density gradient is subjected to vibration. The influence of vibrations on thermal convection depends on the orientation of the time dependant acceleration with respect to the thermal stratification. The problem of a vibrating porous cylinder has numerous important engineering applications, the most important one being in the field of binary alloy solidification. In particular we may extend the above results to understanding the dynamics in the mushy layer (essentially a reactive porous medium) that is sandwiched between the underlying solid and overlying melt regions. Alloyed components are widely used in demanding and critical applications, such as turbine blades, and a consistent internal structure is paramount to the performance and integrity of the component. Alloys are susceptible to the formation of vertical channels which are a direct result of the presence convection, so any technique that suppresses convection/the formation of channels would be welcomed by the plant metallurgical engineer. In the current study, the linear stability theory is used to investigate analytically the effects of gravity modulation on convection in a homogeneous cylindrical porous layer heated from below. The linear stability results show that increasing the frequency of vibration stabilizes the convection. In addition the aspect ratio of the porous cylinder is shown to influence the stability of convection for all frequencies analysed. It was also observed that only synchronous solutions are possible in cylindrical porous layers, with no transition to sub harmonic solutions as was the case in Govender (2005a) for rectangular layers or cavities. The results of the current analysis will be used in the formulation of a model for binary alloy systems that includes the reactive porous medium model.


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