2012/07/18 by Mani Chandra, Mahendra K. Verma · 160 citations
Engineering · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Convection #Flow (mathematics) #Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows #Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis #Geology #Mechanics #Meteorology #Physics #Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics #Turbulence #Vortex #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.110.114503
published in Physical Review Letters 110(11), 114503 (American Physical Society)
arxiv created 2012/07/18 · openalex publication_date 2013/03/14 · arxiv updated 2015/06/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We employ detailed numerical simulations to probe the mechanism of flow reversals in two-dimensional turbulent convection. We show that the reversals occur via a vortex reconnection of two attracting corner rolls having the same sign of vorticity, thus leading to major restructuring of the flow. Large fluctuations in heat transport are observed during the reversal due to the flow reconfiguration. The flow configurations during the reversals have been analyzed quantitatively using large-scale modes. Using these tools, we also show why flow reversals occur for a restricted range of Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers.