Convective heat transfer in the Burgers-Rayleigh-B\'enard system

Abstract

The dynamics of heat transfer in a model system of Rayleigh-B\'enard (RB) convection reduced to its essential, here dubbed Burgers-Rayleigh-B\'enard (BRB), is studied. The system is spatially one-dimensional, the flow field is compressible and its evolution is described by the Burgers equation forced by an active temperature field. The BRB dynamics shares some remarkable similarities with realistic RB thermal convection in higher spatial dimensions: i) it has a supercritical pitchfork instability for the onset of convection which solely depends on the Rayleigh number $(Ra)$ and not on Prandlt $(Pr)$, occurring at the critical value $Ra_c = (2\pi)^4$ ii) the convective regime is spatially organized in distinct boundary-layers and bulk regions, iii) the asymptotic high $Ra$ limit displays the Nusselt and Reynolds numbers scaling regime $Nu = \sqrt{RaPr}/4$ for $Pr\ll 1$, $Nu=\sqrt{Ra}/(4\sqrt{\pi})$ for $Pr\gg1$ and $Re = \sqrt{Ra/Pr}/\sqrt{12}$, thus making BRB the simplest wall-bounded convective system exhibiting the so called ultimate regime of convection. These scaling laws, derived analytically through a matched asymptotic analysis are fully supported by the results of the accompanying numerical simulations. A major difference with realistic natural convection is the absence of turbulence. The BRB dynamics is stationary at any $Ra$ number above the onset of convection. This feature results from a nonlinear saturation mechanism whose existence is grasped by means of a two-mode truncated equation system and via a stability analysis of the convective regime.