Richard J.A.M. Stevens

Physics of Fluids · University of Twente

Publication 69 · Thermal convection

What rotation rate maximizes heat transport in rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection with Prandtl number larger than one?

Y. Yang, R. Verzicco, D. Lohse, R.J.A.M. Stevens, Phys. Rev. Fluids 5, 053501 (2020).

Main finding

The paper establishes two observed optimum regimes and a robust low-Ra scaling within its matrix. High-Ra causal and universal claims remain provisional.

Optimal rotation rate against Rayleigh number for several geometries and Prandtl numbers
How to read the figure. (a) The rotation rate giving maximum heat transport, against Rayleigh number, for periodic and cylindrical cells; a vertical line marks where the behaviour changes, and the lower-Rayleigh points follow a fitted power law. (b) The same across Prandtl numbers from 4.38 to 100, with parallel fits. Open the full-resolution figure. Figure 4. Y. Yang et al. (2020). No separate licence is stated here; consult the original publication and credited source before reuse.

Why this matters

Moderate rotation has an optimum, and that optimum changes when turbulence disrupts coherent vortices.

Research context

Earlier work establishes the rotation-induced transition and the Prandtl-number optimum. This paper maps the optimal rotation rate across Rayleigh number; later confinement studies add a second control parameter, while large-Rayleigh-number analysis extends the dataset to test how the optimum changes regime.

Read the article View in the complete publication list Related thermal convection research