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Investigation of turbulent thermal convection between horizontal plates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

J. W. Deardorff  and
G. E. Willis
J. W. Deardorff
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
G. E. Willis
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
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Abstract

Properties of turbulent thermal convection were measured in air between horizontal plates maintained at constant temperatures. Rayleigh numbers of 6·3 × 105, 2·5 × 106 and 1·0 × 107 were studied with a convection chamber designed to allow measurements to be taken along a horizontal path. Vertical profiles are presented of horizontally averaged temperature; r.m.s. fluctuations of temperature, horizontal velocity and vertical velocity; total heat flux; the correlation coefficient between vertical velocity and temperature; all terms in the thermal variance equation; and of terms in the turbulent kinetic energy balance.

One-dimensional spectra of temperature, horizontal velocity and vertical velocity at two different heights all disclose large intensity for waves of length 5 to 15 times the plate separation. Secondary peaks occur for scales of from 0·7 to 1·7 times the separation height.

Many of the observations are consistent with a thermal structure dominated by plumes extending most or all of the distance between plates.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , 22 June 1967 , pp. 675 - 704
Copyright
© 1967 Cambridge University Press

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