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Experimental investigation of the Boundary Zonal Flow (BZF) in rotating turbulent convection

ORAL

Abstract

We report on measurements in rotating turbulent Rayleigh-B\'enard convection, in a 2.20\, m high cylindrical cell of aspect ratio between its diameter and height of $\Gamma =1/2$. The working fluids are nitrogen and pressurized (up to 19\,bar) sulfur hexafluoride (SF$_6$). We cover a large Rayleigh number range of $5\times 10^9 \leq Ra\leq 5\times 10^{14}$ at Prandtl numbers in the range $0.74\leq Pr\leq 0.96$. Using thermal probes close to the cylindrical sidewalls we measure characteristic properties of the recently found boundary zonal flow (BZF) as a function of Ra and the rotation rate, i.e., the inverse Rossby number (1/Ro). We also discuss in our talk the influence of the BZF on the heat transport.

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Authors

  • Stephan Weiss

    Max Planck Institute f. Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Insitute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

  • Dennis Van Gils

    University Twente, University of Twente

  • Marcel Wedi

    Max Planck Institute f. Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Insitute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

  • Xuan Zhang

    Max Planck Institute f. Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Insitute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

  • Susanne Horn

    Coventry University

  • Lukas Zwirner

    Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Goettingen, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Institute f. Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Max Planck Insitute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

  • Robert Ecke

    Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Olga Shishkina

    Max-Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Goettingen, Max-Planck Institut, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Institute f. Dynamics and Self-Organisation

  • Guenter Ahlers

    University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California at Santa Barbara

  • Eberhard Bodenschatz

    Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Goettingen, Germany, Max Planck Institute f. Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization