Paper detail

Computational fluid dynamics approach for understanding oscillating and interacting convective flows

A 2D numerical hydrodynamics approach is considered for modelling recent experimental results on the oscillation and collective behavior of convective flows. Our simulations consider the rising dynamics of heated fluid columns in a gravitational field. Simulations are done on two entirely different length-scales, showing also the generality of the investigated phenomena. For the flow of a single heated fluid column, the effect of the inflow yield and the nozzle diameter is studied. In agreement with the experiments, for a constant nozzle diameter the oscillation frequency increases approximately linearly as a function of the the flow yield and for a constant flow yield the frequency decreases as a power law with the increasing nozzle diameter. Concerning the collective behavior of two nearby flow we find a counter-phase synchronization of the oscillations and an increasing trend in the common oscillation frequency when the distance between the flows is decreased. These results are again in agreement with the experimental findings.