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Flow anisotropy in rotating buoyancy-driven turbulence

Hadi Rajaei*, Pranav Joshi, Rudie P. J. Kunnen, and Herman J. H. Clercx

  • Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics and J. M. Burgers Center for Fluid Dynamics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

  • *h.rajaei@tue.nl
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 1, 044403 – Published 1 August, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.1.044403

Abstract

We report a combined experimental-numerical study of the effects of background rotation on large- and small-scale isotropy in rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC) from both Eulerian and Lagrangian points of view. Three-dimensional particle-tracking velocimetry (3D-PTV) and direct numerical simulations (DNS) are employed at three different heights within the cylindrical cell. The Lagrangian velocity fluctuation and second-order Eulerian structure function are utilized to evaluate the large-scale isotropy for different rotation rates. Furthermore, we examine the experimental measurements of the Lagrangian acceleration of neutrally buoyant particles and the second-order Eulerian structure function to evaluate the small-scale isotropy as a function of rotation rate. It is found that background rotation enhances large-scale anisotropy at the cell center and close to the top plate, while decreases it at intermediate height. The large-scale anisotropy, induced by rotation, has negligible effect on the small scales at the cell center, whereas the small scales remain anisotropic close to the top plate.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 1, 044403– Published 1 August, 2016
  • Received 16 February 2016

©2016 American Physical Society

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