Double-diffusive convection in a rotating cylinder with heating from below

Abstract

Experimental investigations are made to study the convective phenomena of an initially stratified salt-water solution due to bottom heating in a uniformly rotating cylindrical cavity. Three types of global flow patterns initially appear depending on the effective Rayleigh number ( Ra η ) and Taylor number ( Ta): stagnant flow regime, single mixed layer flow regime and multiple mixed layer flow regime. The number of layers at its initial stage and the growth height of the mixed layer decreases as Ta increases for the same Ra η . It is ascertained in the rotating case that the fluctuation of interface between layers is weakened, the growth rate o f mixed layer is retarded and the shape of interface is more regular compared to the stationary case.