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PRANDTL NUMBER DEPENDENCE OF STATISTICS IN TURBULENT RAYLEIGH-BÉNARD CONVECTION

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We study the dependence of statistical properties on the Prandtl number in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a cylindrical cell using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. The Prandtl number is varied between Pr=0.07 and 7 for a fixed Rayleigh number of Ra=3.10^9. It is found that the dynamics of the large-scale circulation is altered by the Prandtl number variation. In contrast, the probability density function of small-scale quantities such as the local heat currents are less affected by this parameter change. Implications for the global heat transfer are discussed.

Author(s):

Mohammad Emran    
TU Ilmenau
Germany

Nan Shi    
TU Ilmenau
Germany

Jörg Schumacher    
TU Ilmenau
Germany