Boundary layers in turbulent Rayleigh-B\'enard convection in air
Abstract
The boundary layer flow in a Rayleigh-B\'enard convection cell of rectangular shape has been visualized in this fluid dynamics video. The experiment has been undertaken in air at a Rayleigh number Ra=1.3× 1010 and a Prandtl number Pr=0.7. Various sequences captured at selected positions of the heating plate show that the boundary layer is a very transient flow region characterized by coherent structures that permanently evolve. It becomes fully turbulent in the areas where the large-scale circulation impinge or leave the bottom plate.
0