Tuesday, 16 July 2002
Generation of large-scale semi-organized structures in turbulent convection
A new mean-field theory of turbulent convection is developed by
considering only the small-scales part of spectra as "turbulence" and
the large-scales part, as a "mean flow", which includes both regular and
semi-organized motions. This theory yields results which are in
an agreement with some well known experimental findings which lacked
theoretical explanation, e.g., (a) the turbulent heat conductivity
increases with the decrease of shear and the turbulent Prandtl number
decreases from 1/2 to 1/8; (b) in the presence of the mean shear, the
horizontal heat flux is directed against the regular mean flow.
The convective wind instability in a shear-free turbulent convection is
found. This instability causes formation of large-scale semi-organized
fluid motions in the form of cells or rolls (convective wind).
Spatial characteristics of these motions, such as the minimum size
of the growing perturbations and the size of perturbations
with the maximum growth rate, are determined. A convective-shear
instability in a sheared turbulent covection is also found. This
instability causes generation of convective-shear waves which
have a nonzero hydrodynamic helicity. Increase of shear promotes
excitation of the convective-shear instability. Applications of the
obtained results to the atmospheric turbulent convection
and the laboratory experiments on turbulent convection are discussed.
Supplementary URL: http://www.bgu.ac.il/~gary