Richard J.A.M. Stevens

Physics of Fluids · University of Twente

Publication 75 · Thermal convection

The effect of Prandtl number on turbulent sheared thermal convection

A. Blass, P. Tabak, R. Verzicco, R.J.A.M. Stevens, D. Lohse, J. Fluid Mech. 910, A37 (2021).

Main finding

Nu varies nonmonotonically with wall shear and the magnitude depends strongly on Pr in this matrix.

Heat transport against wall shear for five Prandtl numbers, each curve showing a minimum
How to read the figure. (a) Nusselt number against the shear Reynolds number for Prandtl numbers from 0.22 to 4.6; every curve dips to a minimum before rising again. (b) Heat transport without shear against Prandtl number, and (c) the shear at which the minimum falls, following a Pr^-0.35 fit. The depth of the dip varies strongly with Prandtl number. Open the full-resolution figure. Figure 3. A. Blass et al. (2021). No separate licence is stated here; consult the original publication and credited source before reuse.

Why this matters

The strong Prandtl-number dependence shows that shear effects on heat transport cannot be parameterized independently of thermal diffusivity.

Research context

This is a modified-system bridge between classical RB and wall-shear turbulence.

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