Boundary layers in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection in air
arXiv:1209.6201
Abstract
The boundary layer flow in a Rayleigh-Bénard convection cell of rectangular shape has been visualized in this fluid dynamics video. The experiment has been undertaken in air at a Rayleigh number and a Prandtl number . Various sequences captured at selected positions of the heating plate show that the boundary layer is a very transient flow region characterized by coherent structures that permanently evolve. It becomes fully turbulent in the areas where the large-scale circulation impinge or leave the bottom plate.
two pages, one full size video, one reduced size video