• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3540-3550
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• 2022

The supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO₂) Brayton cycle is an important energy conversion technology for the fourth generation of nuclear energy. Since the printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) used in the S-CO₂ Brayton cycle has narrow channels, Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) convection is likely to exist in the tiny channels. However, there are very few studies on RB convection in supercritical fluids. Current research on RB convection mainly focuses on conventional fluids such as water and air that meet the Boussinesq assumption. It is necessary to study non-Boussinesq fluids. PRB convection refers to RB convection that is affected by horizontal incoming flow. In this paper, the computational fluid dynamics simulation method is used to study the PRB convection phenomenon of non-Boussinesq fluid-supercritical carbon dioxide. The result shows that the inlet Reynolds number (Re) of the horizontal incoming flow significantly affects the PRB convection. When the inlet Re remains unchanged, with the increase of Rayleigh number (Ra), the steady-state convective pattern of the fluid layer is shown in order: horizontal flow, local traveling wave, traveling wave convection. If Ra remains unchanged, as the inlet Re increases, three convection patterns of traveling wave convection, local traveling wave, and horizontal flow will appear in sequence. To characterize the relationship between traveling wave convection and horizontal incoming flow, this paper proposes the relationship between critical Reynolds number and relative Rayleigh number (r).

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.35-40
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• 2013

Natural convection of air with Pr=0.7 between two horizontal plates with small magnitude non-uniform temperature distribution[${\in}{\Delta}Tsin({\kappa}X/H)$, H : gap width, X : horizontal coordinate] in the lower plate is numerically(${\in}=0.01$) investigated. In the conduction-dominated regime with $Ra{\leq}1700$, two upright cells are formed over one wave length($2{\pi}/{\kappa}$). For small wave number, the flow becomes unstable with increase of Rayleigh number, and multicellular convection occurs above a critical Rayleigh number. The flow patterns are classified by the number of eddies over one wave length. When ${\kappa}=1$, a transition of $2{\rightarrow}4{\rightarrow}6$ eddy flow occurs with increase of Rayleigh number, and no hysteresis phenomenon is observed. Dual and triple solutions are found for ${\kappa}=1$, and transitions of $10{\rightarrow}8$, $8{\rightarrow}6$, $6{\rightarrow}4{\rightarrow}2$ eddy flow occur with decrease of Rayleigh number.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.1451-1460
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• 2001

The critical condition of the onset of buoyancy-driven convective motion of uniformly heated horizontal fluid layer was analysed by the propagation theory which transforms the disturbance quantities similarly. The dimensionless critical time, $\tau$$\sub$c/, is obtained as a function of the Rayleigh number and the Prandtl number. Based on the stability criteria and the boundary-layer instability model, a new heat transfer correlation which can cover whole range of Rayleigh number was derived. Our theoretical results predict the experimental results quite reasonably.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2744-2749
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• 2008

Numerical calculations are carried out for the natural convection induced by temperature difference between a cold outer square cylinder and a hot inner circular cylinder for Rayleigh number of $Ra=10^7$. This study investigates the effect of the inner cylinder location on the heat transfer and fluid flow. The location of inner circular cylinder ($\delta$) is changed vertically along the center-line of square enclosure. The natural convection bifurcates from unsteady to steady state according to $\delta$. Two critical positions of ${\delta}_{C,L}$ and ${\delta}_{C,U}$ as a lower bound and an upper bound are ${\delta}_{C,L}=0.05$ and ${\delta}_{C,U}=0.18$, respectively. Within the defined bounds, the thermal and flow fields are steady state. When the inner cylinder locates at ${\delta}{\geq}{\delta}_{C,U}$, the space between the upper surface of inner cylinder and the top surface of the enclosure forms a relatively shallow layer where the natural convection characterized as the pure Rayleigh-Benard convection forms alternately the upwelling and downwelling plums, as a result that a series of cells known as Benard cells is derived.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.723-729
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• 2019

A theoretical analysis was conducted of convective instability driven by buoyancy forces under transient temperature fields in an annular porous medium bounded by coaxial vertical cylinders. Darcy's law and Boussinesq approximation are used to explain the characteristics of fluid motion and linear stability theory is employed to predict the onset of buoyancy-driven motion. The linear stability equations are derived in a global domain, and then cast into in a self-similar domain. Using a spectral expansion method, the stability equations are reformed as a system of ordinary differential equations and solved analytically and numerically. The critical Darcy-Rayleigh number is founded as a function of the radius ratio. Also, the onset time and corresponding wavelength are obtained for the various cases. The critical time becomes smaller with increasing the Darcy-Rayleigh number and follows the asymptotic relation derived in the infinite horizontal porous layer.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.999-1005
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• 2004

Thermal convection between two horizontal walls kept at small amplitude nonuniform temperatures of the form, $T_L=T_1+a{\Delta}T$ sin kx and $T_U=T_2+b{\Delta}T\;sin(kx-{\beta})$ with a, $b{\ll}1$, is numerically investigated. When the Rayleigh number is small, an upright cell is formed between two walls at ${\beta}=0$; the cell is tilted at ${\beta}={\pi}/2$, and a flow with two-tier-structure cells occurs at ${\beta}={\pi}$. As the Rayleigh number is increased, Nusselt number increases smoothly for ${\beta}=0\;and\;{\pi}/2$, but increases rather steeply for ${\beta}={\pi}$ near the critical Rayleigh number ($Ra_c=1708$). When the wave number is small (k=0.5), multicellular convection occurs over one wave length, for all phase differences, and multiple solutions are found.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.209-215
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• 1998

This paper investigated the vertical throughflow effects on natural convection due to heating from below in horizontal porous layer. The motion of the fluid in the porous layer is governed by Brinkman-Darcy equation. And compared Critical Rayleigh number in case of throughflow with no throughflow. Investigated Nusslet number, isothermalline and flow with the variation of the strength of throughflow in a constant Rayleigh number. In the numerical analysis, flow is assumed to be two-dimensional and unsteady. The numerical scheme used is a finite-difference method. In the experimental study, Temperature distribution was measured by use of Liquid Crystal film. As a results, indicated that throughflow influences largely on the temperature field and as the strength of throughflow increased, unstability of natural convection decreased. Also it could predict the strength of natural convection with the measured Nusselt number.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.169-176
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• 2000

Natural convection in a wide-gap horizontal annulus is considered, and the transition of flows and the bifurcation phenomenon are investigated for the fluids with Pr=0.2 and 0.3. At Pr=0.2, a bicellular flow pattern is observed at high Rayleigh number, and the solution is unique. At Pr=0.3, both the steady unicellular and bicellular flows exist above a certain critical Rayleigh number. For the fluids of Pr=0.2, the bicellular flow can be obtained by the impulsive heating of the inner cylinder, but it is not obtained from the zero initial condition for Pr=0.3. Hysteresis phenomena have not been observed. A transition from a bicellular flow to a unicellular flow occurs for Pr=0.3.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.755-762
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• 2000

Natural convection of air in a horizontal annulus with the inner cylinder cooled by the application of a constant heat flux and the isothermally heated outer cylinder is considered. The bifurcation phenomenon of flow patterns and the heat transfer characteristics are numerically investigated. The zero initial condition induces a unicellular flow in a half annulus. A bicellular flow consisting of two counter-rotating eddies in a half annulus can be obtained above a certain critical Rayleigh number. A transition from the bicellular to the unicellular flow occurs with a decrease in Rayleigh number. Hysteresis phenomena have not been observed. In the regime of dual flows, the overall Nusselt number of the bicellular flow is greater than that of the unicellular flow.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.3706-3713
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• 1996

A numerical study on natural convection induced by free surface heat flux and cold left and hot right walls in glass melting furnaces has been performed. A function of heat flux derived from the combustion environments of actual glass melting furnace is applied to thermal boundary condition at free surface. Fundamentally there exist two flow cells in cavity (left counterclockwise one and right clockwise one). The effects of heat flux and Rayleigh number are investigated through two-dimensional steady-state assumption. The convection strength of two flow cell located in left region continuously increases. In the mean time the strength of flow cell in right region increases and then decreases. Critical Rayleigh number in which two flow cells take place above and below show linear dependence on the free surface heat flux. To maintain the traditional flow pattern (left and right flow cells) in glass melting furnace, Rayleigh number is recommended to be below 10$^{5}$ .