EFFECT OF IMPURITY IMMOBILIZATION ON SOLUTAL CONVECTION IN AN INCLINED POROUS LAYER

Structures of moving transverse and mixed rolls in mixed convection of air in a horizontal plane channel

Flow visualization and numerical simulation of transverse and mixed vortex roll formation in mixed convection of air in a horizontal flat duct

We present a simple model for Rayleigh-B\'enard convection with an imposed horizontal flow of Reynolds number R in a container of finite width and near threshold. The model consists of two coupled envelope equations representing longitudinal and transverse traveling convection rolls. Each equation is for a wave traveling in the direction of the imposed flow. For small R, transverse rolls are stable at the convective onset. For R>${\mathit{R}}^{\mathrm{*}}$, longitudinal rolls bifurcate from the conduction state. For a range of cross-coupling strengths and for R>${\mathit{R}}^{\mathrm{*}}$, we obtain a transition from longitudinal to transverse rolls as the Rayleigh number is increased. This transition occurs via states for which part of the system is occupied by longitudinal, and another by transverse rolls. The behavior is strongly influenced by the presence of noise since the system first becomes convectively unstable, and therefore noise-sustained structures can play an important role. We also show that for a range of parameters in the model, a mixed state (for which both envelopes assume a nonzero value at the same location) is possible over part of the cell in a finite geometry.

Thermoconvective instabilities in an inclined porous channel heated from below

We present a study of absolute and convective instabilities in electrohydrodynamic flow subjected to a Poiseuille flow (EHD-Poiseuille). The electric field is imposed on two infinite flat plates filled with a non-conducting dielectric fluid with unipolar ion injection. Mathematically, the dispersion relation of the linearised problem is studied based on the asymptotic response of an impulse disturbance imposed on the base EHD-Poiseuille flow. Transverse, longitudinal and oblique rolls are investigated to identify the saddle point satisfying the pinching condition in the corresponding complex wavenumber space. It is found that when the ratio of Coulomb force to viscous force increases, the transverse rolls can transit from convective instability to absolute instability. The ratio of hydrodynamic mobility to electric mobility, which exerts negligible effect on the linear stability criterion when the cross-flow is small, has significant influence on the convective–absolute instability transition, especially when the ratio is small. As we change the value of the mobility ratio, a saddle point shift phenomenon occurs in the case of transverse rolls. The unstable longitudinal rolls are convectively unstable as long as there is a cross-flow, a result which is deduced from a one-mode Galerkin approximation. Longitudinal rolls have a larger growth rate than transverse rolls except for a small cross-flow. Finally, regarding the oblique rolls, a numerical search for the saddle point simultaneously in the complex streamwise and transverse wavenumber spaces always yields an absolute transverse wavenumber of zero, implying that oblique rolls give way to transverse rolls when the flow is unstable.

Buoyancy-induced vortex flow structures and the associated heat transfer were numerically investigated in a mixed convective airflow in a bottom-heated horizontal rectangular duct of different aspect ratios. The unsteady three-dimensional Navier-Stokes and energy equations were directly solved by a higher order upwind finite difference scheme. Results were presented in particular for Reynolds numbers ranging from 5 to 15, Rayleigh numbers up to 9000, and aspect ratios from 4 to 12. The predicted results clearly show significant differences in vortex structures induced in ducts with small and large aspect ratios. For an aspect ratio less than 6 the transverse vortex rolls are periodically generated in the duct entry and gradually transform into longitudinal rolls when moving downstream. The resulting vortex flow eventually evolves to a time periodic state with the upstream and downstream portions of the duct dominated by the transverse rolls and longitudinal rolls, respectively. For a large aspect ratio (A > 9) the transverse rolls prevail in the duct core, with two to three longitudinal rolls existing near each sidewall. The flow oscillation in the region dominated by the transverse rolls is much higher than that dominated by the longitudinal rolls. At high Ra the flow becomes chaotic in time, and the duct is filled with unstable irregular vortex rolls.

On Gill’s stability problem for non-Newtonian Darcy’s flow

We investigate the double-diffusive instability in an inclined porous layer with a concentration-based internal heat source by conducting linear instability and nonlinear energy analyses. The effects of different dimensionless parameters, such as the thermal ( Ra T ) and solutal ( Ra S ) Rayleigh numbers, the angle of inclination ( ϕ ), the Lewis number ( Le ) and the concentration-based internal heat source ( Q ) are examined. A comparison between the linear and nonlinear thresholds for the longitudinal and transverse rolls provides the region of subcritical instability. We found that the system becomes more unstable when the thermal diffusivity is greater than the solute and the internal heat source strength increases. It is observed that the system is stabilized by increasing the angle of inclination. While the longitudinal roll remains stationary without the region of subcritical instability, as the angle of inclination increases, the transverse roll switches from stationary-oscillatory-stationary mode. Our numerical results show that for Ra S < 0, for all Q values, the subcritical instability only exists for transverse rolls. For Ra S ≥ 0, however, the subcritical instability appears only for Q = 0 and Q ≥ 0, respectively, for longitudinal and transverse rolls.

When a charge selective surface consumes or transports only cations or anions in the electrolyte, biased ion rejection initiates hydrodynamic instability, resulting in vortical fluid motions called electroconvection. In this Letter, we describe the first laboratory observation of three-dimensional electroconvection on a charge selective surface. Combining experiment and scaling analysis, we successfully categorized three distinct patterns of 3D electroconvection according to [(Ra_{E})/(Re^{2}Sc)] [electric Rayleigh number (Ra_{E}), Reynolds number (Re), Schmidt number (Sc)] as (i)polygonal, (ii)transverse, or (iii)longitudinal rolls. If Re increases or Ra_{E} decreases, pure longitudinal rolls are presented. On the other hand, transverse rolls are formed between longitudinal rolls, and two rolls are transformed as polygonal one at higher Ra_{E} or lower Re. In this pattern selection scenario, Sc determines the critical electric Rayleigh number (Ra_{E}^{*}) for the onset of each roll, resulting in Ra_{E}^{*}∼Re^{2}Sc. We also verify that convective ion flux by electroconvection (represented by an electric Nusselt number Nu_{E}) is fitted to a power law, Nu_{E}∼[(Ra_{E}-Ra_{E}^{*})/(Re^{2}Sc)]^{α_{1}}Re^{α_{2}}Pe^{α_{3}} [Péclet number (Pe)], where each term represents the characteristics of electroconvection, shear flow, and ion transport.

In this article, we study the linear instability and the nonlinear stability (through energy functional) analyses of thermal convection in an inclined Darcy–Brinkman porous layer considering uniformly heated horizontal rigid, impermeable walls from below and above. The effects of a uniform internal heat source and anisotropy in effective thermal diffusivity on heat transfer are also considered. Heating the porous layer from below yields the temperature gradient, influencing the buoyancy and making the convection happen. This temperature gradient also impacts the base state. The basic solution for velocity incorporates both hyperbolic and polynomial functions, significantly increasing the complexity of linear and nonlinear analyses. The Chebyshev-tau method, together with the QZ algorithm, is used to solve the linear and nonlinear perturbed system of equations numerically. The region of subcritical instability is obtained by comparing the linear and nonlinear thresholds for the longitudinal and transverse rolls, respectively. We found that perturbations for longitudinal and transverse rolls do not grow after inclination is more than 30.3° and 31.3°, respectively. It has been noted that in transverse roll scenarios, the flow becomes stabilized when the inclination angle, ϕ, is equal to or exceeds 60°, where ϕ plays a leading role in surpassing the impact of internal heating. However, when the inclination angle is ϕ<60°, then internal heating dominates and destabilizes the flow. For the longitudinal rolls, the internal heating dominates the whole range of ϕ, destabilizing the system. Furthermore, it can be seen that the Darcy number (Da) and the anisotropic thermal diffusivity (ξ) delay the onset of convection.

Vortex flow patterns near critical state for onset of convection in air flow through a bottom heated horizontal flat duct

CFD analysis for solar chimney power plants

This paper starts with an overview of the buoyancy driven vortex flow and the associated thermal characteristics in low Reynolds number mixed convection of gas through a bottom heated horizontal plane channel. Various vortex flow patterns reported in the past decades from theoretical, experimental and numerical explorations are examined, including the longitudinal, transverse and mixed vortex rolls. The mixed vortex rolls exist in several forms and result from the merging and/or splitting of the longitudinal and transverse rolls which are simultaneously present in certain parameter ranges. Then, the buoyancy induced formation of the longitudinal and transverse vortex flows from the unidirectional forced convection dominated flow in the channel is illustrated. Besides, the vortex flow affected by the aspect ratio of the channel is also discussed. Moreover, the stabilization of the unstable vortex flow driven at very high buoyancy-to-inertia ratios through the top plate inclination, top plate heating and a surface-mounted rib is inspected. Furthermore, our recent results for the mixed convective vortex flow structures over a heated circular substrate are presented

Buoyancy driven vortex flow and thermal structures in a very low Reynolds number mixed convective gas flow through a horizontal channel

Natural convection in an infinite horizontal layer subject to periodic heating along the lower wall has been investigated using a combination of numerical and asymptotic techniques. The heating maintains the same mean temperatures at both walls while producing sinusoidal temperature variations along one horizontal direction, with its spatial distribution characterized by the wavenumber $\alpha $ and the amplitude expressed in terms of a Rayleigh number $R{a}_{p} $. The primary response of the system takes the form of stationary convection consisting of rolls with the axis orthogonal to the heating wave vector and structure determined by the particular values of $R{a}_{p} $ and $\alpha $. It is shown that for sufficiently large $\alpha $ convection is limited to a thin layer adjacent to the lower wall with a uniform conduction zone emerging above it; the temperature in this zone becomes independent of the heating pattern and varies in the vertical direction only. Linear stability of the above system has been considered and conditions leading to the emergence of secondary convection have been identified. Secondary convection gives rise to either longitudinal rolls, transverse rolls or oblique rolls at the onset, depending on $\alpha $. The longitudinal rolls are parallel to the primary rolls and the transverse rolls are orthogonal to the primary rolls, and both result in striped patterns. The oblique rolls lead to the formation of convection cells with aspect ratio dictated by their inclination angle and formation of rhombic patterns. Two mechanisms of instability have been identified. In the case of $\alpha = O(1)$, parametric resonance dominates and leads to a pattern of instability that is locked in with the pattern of heating according to the relation ${\delta }_{cr} = \alpha / 2$, where ${\delta }_{cr} $ denotes the component of the critical disturbance wave vector parallel to the heating wave vector. The second mechanism, the Rayleigh–Bénard (RB) mechanism, dominates for large $\alpha $, where the instability is driven by the uniform mean vertical temperature gradient created by the primary convection, with the critical disturbance wave vector ${\delta }_{cr} \rightarrow 1. 56$ for $\alpha \rightarrow \infty $ and the fluid response becoming similar to that found in the case of a uniformly heated wall. Competition between these mechanisms gives rise to non-commensurable states in the case of longitudinal rolls and the appearance of soliton lattices, to the formation of distorted transverse rolls, and to the appearance of the wave vector component in the direction perpendicular to the forcing direction. A rapid stabilization is observed when the heating wavenumber is reduced below $\alpha \approx 2. 2$ and no instability is found when $\alpha \lt 1. 6$ in the range of $R{a}_{p} $ considered. It is shown that $\alpha $ plays the role of an effective pattern control parameter and its judicious selection provides a means for the creation of a wide range of flow responses.