Heat transport by turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection for $\Pra\ \simeq 0.8$ and $3\times 10^{12} \alt \Ra\ \alt 10^{15}$: Aspect ratio $\Gamma =0.50$

Abstract

We report experimental results for heat-transport measurements, in the form of the Nusselt number \Nu, by turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a cylindrical sample of aspect ratio $\Gamma \equiv D/L=0.50$ ($D=1.12$ m is the diameter and $L=2.24$ m the height). The measurements were made using sulfur hexafluoride at pressures up to 19 bars as the fluid. They are for the Rayleigh-number range $3\times 10^{12} \alt \Ra \alt 10^{15}$ and for Prandtl numbers \Pra\ between 0.79 and 0.86. For $\Ra < \Ra^*_1 \simeq 1.4\times 10^{13}$ we find $\Nu = N_0 \Ra^{γ_{eff}}$ with ${\gamma }_{eff}=0.312\pm 0.002$, consistent with classical turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a system with laminar boundary layers below the top and above the bottom plate. For $\Ra^*_1 < \Ra < \Ra^*_2$ (with $\Ra^*_2 \simeq 5\times 10^{14}$) ${\gamma }_{eff}$ gradually increases up to $0.37\pm 0.01$. We argue that above $\Ra^*_2$ the system is in the ultimate state of convection where the boundary layers, both thermal and kinetic, are also turbulent. Several previous measurements for $\Gamma =0.50$ are re-examined and compared with the present results.

44 pages, 18 figures, submitted to NJP