dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaEffect of the Earth's Coriolis force on the large-scale circulation of turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection
| Authors | Eric Brown, Guenter Ahlers |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0608110 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0608110 |
Abstract
We present measurements of the large-scale circulation (LSC) of turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection in water-filled cylindrical samples of heights equal to their diameters. The orientation of the LSC had an irregular time dependence, but revealed a net azimuthal rotation with an average period of about 3 days for Rayleigh numbers R > 10^10. On average there was also a tendency for the LSC to be aligned with upflow to the west and downflow to the east, even after physically rotating the apparatus in the laboratory through various angles. Both of these phenomena could be explained as a result of the coupling of the Earth's Coriolis force to the LSC. The rate of azimuthal rotation could be calculated from a model of diffusive LSC orientation meandering with a potential barrier due to the Coriolis force. The model and the data revealed an additional contribution to the potential barrier that could be attributed to the cooling system of the sample top which dominated the preferred orientation of the LSC at high R. The tendency for the LSC to be in a preferred orientation due to the Coriolis force could be cancelled by a slight tilt of the apparatus relative to gravity, although this tilt affected other aspects of the LSC that the Coriolis force did not.
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"abstract": "We present measurements of the large-scale circulation (LSC) of turbulent\nRayleigh-Benard convection in water-filled cylindrical samples of heights equal\nto their diameters. The orientation of the LSC had an irregular time\ndependence, but revealed a net azimuthal rotation with an average period of\nabout 3 days for Rayleigh numbers R \u003e 10^10. On average there was also a\ntendency for the LSC to be aligned with upflow to the west and downflow to the\neast, even after physically rotating the apparatus in the laboratory through\nvarious angles. Both of these phenomena could be explained as a result of the\ncoupling of the Earth\u0027s Coriolis force to the LSC. The rate of azimuthal\nrotation could be calculated from a model of diffusive LSC orientation\nmeandering with a potential barrier due to the Coriolis force. The model and\nthe data revealed an additional contribution to the potential barrier that\ncould be attributed to the cooling system of the sample top which dominated the\npreferred orientation of the LSC at high R. The tendency for the LSC to be in a\npreferred orientation due to the Coriolis force could be cancelled by a slight\ntilt of the apparatus relative to gravity, although this tilt affected other\naspects of the LSC that the Coriolis force did not.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0608110",
"authors": [
"Eric Brown",
"Guenter Ahlers"
],
"categories": [
"physics.flu-dyn"
],
"title": "Effect of the Earth\u0027s Coriolis force on the large-scale circulation of turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0608110"
},
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