Effect of large-scale coherent structures on turbulent convection.

We study an effect of large-scale coherent structures on global properties of turbulent convection in laboratory experiments in air flow in a rectangular chamber with aspect ratios A approximately 2 and A approximately 4 (with the Rayleigh numbers varying in the range from 5x10;{6} to 10;{8} ). The large-scale coherent structures comprise the one-cell and two-cell flow patterns. We found that a main contribution to the turbulence kinetic-energy production in turbulent convection with large-scale coherent structures is due to the nonuniform large-scale motions. Turbulence in large Rayleigh number convection with coherent structures is produced by shear rather than by buoyancy. We determined the scalings of global parameters (e.g., the production and dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, the turbulent velocity and integral turbulent scale, the large-scale shear, etc.) of turbulent convection versus the temperature difference between the bottom and the top walls of the chamber. These scalings are in an agreement with our theoretical predictions. We demonstrated that the degree of inhomogeneity of the turbulent convection with large-scale coherent structures is small.

Transition phenomena in unstably stratified turbulent flows.

We study experimentally and theoretically the transition phenomena caused by external forcing from Rayleigh-Bénard convection with large-scale circulation (LSC) to the limiting regime of unstably stratified turbulent flow without LSC, where the temperature field behaves like a passive scalar. In the experiments we use the Rayleigh-Bénard apparatus with an additional source of turbulence produced by two oscillating grids located near the sidewalls of the chamber. When the frequency of the grid oscillations is larger than 2 Hz, the LSC in turbulent convection is destroyed, and the destruction of the LSC is accompanied by a strong change of the mean temperature distribution. However, in all regimes of the unstably stratified turbulent flow the ratio [(ℓ{x}∇{x}T)²+(ℓ{y}∇{y}T)² + (ℓ{z}∇{z}T)²]/<θ²> varies slightly (even in the range of parameters where the behavior of the temperature field is different from that of the passive scalar). Here ℓ{i} are the integral scales of turbulence along the x,y,z directions, and T and θ are the mean and fluctuating parts of the fluid temperature. At all frequencies of the grid oscillations we have detected long-term nonlinear oscillations of the mean temperature. The theoretical predictions based on the budget equations for turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent temperature fluctuations, and turbulent heat flux, are in agreement with the experimental results.