Richard J.A.M. Stevens

Physics of Fluids · University of Twente

Publication 45 · Thermal convection

Confined Rayleigh-Bénard, Rotating Rayleigh-Bénard, and Double Diffusive Convection

K.L. Chong, Y. Yang, S.-D. Huang, J.-Q. Zhong, R.J.A.M. Stevens, R. Verzicco, D. Lohse, K.-Q. Xia, Phys. Rev. Lett., 119, 064501 (2017).

Main finding

Stabilization first organizes sheet-like emission into fewer, vertically coherent structures, increasing scalar transport efficiency, and later suppresses motion strongly enough that transport falls. The proposed optimum couples strong suction at the momentum-layer edge with large scalar fluctuations; after the layer crossing, suction samples a region with weaker scalar anomaly.

Scalar transport and Reynolds number against stabilisation in confined, rotating and double-diffusive convection
How to read the figure. (a-c) Scalar transport and (d-f) Reynolds number against the stabilising parameter, for confined Rayleigh-Benard, rotating Rayleigh-Benard, and double-diffusive convection. In each system transport rises to a maximum before falling away, while the Reynolds number decreases throughout: moderate stabilisation improves scalar transport even as the flow itself weakens. Open the full-resolution figure. Figure 1. K.L. Chong et al. (2017). No separate licence is stated here; consult the original publication and credited source before reuse.

Why this matters

Three different systems display the same bounded phenomenology: moderate stabilization can increase scalar transport even while mass transport weakens.

Research context

The comparison reuses earlier confinement and double-diffusive simulations and connects them to rotating-convection results. Across all three systems, moderate stabilization organizes transport before stronger stabilization suppresses the flow; wall-sheared convection provides a distinct nonmonotonic forcing pathway.

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