Richard J.A.M. Stevens

Physics of Fluids · University of Twente

Publication 25 · Thermal convection

The unifying theory of scaling in thermal convection

R.J.A.M. Stevens, E.P. van der Poel, S. Grossmann, D. Lohse, J. Fluid Mech. 730, 295-308 (2013).

Main finding

Updated GL coefficients reproduce most then-established classical data over broad sampled ranges.

Compensated Nusselt number against Rayleigh number with data from ten experimental groups
How to read the figure. Nusselt number compensated by Ra^(1/3) against Rayleigh number, with measurements from ten experimental groups and the updated Grossmann-Lohse fit drawn through them. The updated prefactors follow most of the established data across the sampled range. The datasets do not all agree with one another, so the agreement here is with the body of data rather than with any single experiment. Open the full-resolution figure. Figure 4. R.J.A.M. Stevens et al. (2013). No separate licence is stated here; consult the original publication and credited source before reuse.

Why this matters

The updated prefactors make Grossmann-Lohse theory quantitatively useful across a broad range of classical convection data.

Research context

The Grossmann–Lohse framework combines exact global dissipation balances with boundary-layer and bulk estimates. Four heat-transfer anchors and one Reynolds-number anchor set the updated coefficients; the resulting surfaces reproduce most of the then-established classical database but are not independent tests of those calibration data.

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