Large-scale circulation reversals explained by pendulum correspondence

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Hauptverfasser: Moore, Nicholas J., Mac Huang, Jinzi
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2023
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author Moore, Nicholas J.
Mac Huang, Jinzi
author_facet Moore, Nicholas J.
Mac Huang, Jinzi
contents We introduce a low-order dynamical system to describe thermal convection in an annular domain. The model derives systematically from a Fourier-Laurent truncation of the governing Navier-Stokes Boussinesq equations and accounts for spatial dependence of the flow and temperature fields. Comparison with fully-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) shows that the model captures parameter bifurcations and reversals of the large-scale circulation (LSC), including states of (i) steady circulating flow, (ii) chaotic LSC reversals, and (iii) periodic LSC reversals. Casting the system in terms of the fluid's angular momentum and center of mass (CoM) reveals equivalence to a damped pendulum with forcing that raises the CoM above the fulcrum. This formulation offers a transparent mechanism for LSC reversals, namely the inertial overshoot of a forced pendulum, and it yields an explicit formula for the frequency $f^*$ of regular LSC reversals in the high Rayleigh-number limit. This formula is shown to be in excellent agreement with DNS and produces the scaling law $f^* \sim Ra^{0.5}$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2307_13148
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Large-scale circulation reversals explained by pendulum correspondence
Moore, Nicholas J.
Mac Huang, Jinzi
Fluid Dynamics
Mathematical Physics
Dynamical Systems
We introduce a low-order dynamical system to describe thermal convection in an annular domain. The model derives systematically from a Fourier-Laurent truncation of the governing Navier-Stokes Boussinesq equations and accounts for spatial dependence of the flow and temperature fields. Comparison with fully-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) shows that the model captures parameter bifurcations and reversals of the large-scale circulation (LSC), including states of (i) steady circulating flow, (ii) chaotic LSC reversals, and (iii) periodic LSC reversals. Casting the system in terms of the fluid's angular momentum and center of mass (CoM) reveals equivalence to a damped pendulum with forcing that raises the CoM above the fulcrum. This formulation offers a transparent mechanism for LSC reversals, namely the inertial overshoot of a forced pendulum, and it yields an explicit formula for the frequency $f^*$ of regular LSC reversals in the high Rayleigh-number limit. This formula is shown to be in excellent agreement with DNS and produces the scaling law $f^* \sim Ra^{0.5}$.
title Large-scale circulation reversals explained by pendulum correspondence
topic Fluid Dynamics
Mathematical Physics
Dynamical Systems
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.13148