Development of turbulent cellular structures in Rayleigh-Benard convection in a finite liquid metal layer

Large-scale, coherent flow structures of Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a finite liquid metal layer were examined experimentally by means of ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry. The fluid layer with aspect ratio of five and L = 40 mm in height was filled with eutectic alloy of GaInSn (Prandtl number, Pr = 0.03), and multiple ultrasonic transducers for the velocimetry were mounted in the side wall of the vessel to capture three-dimensional structures of the convection.
Spatio-tempral velocity maps obtained at different Rayleigh numbers in the range, 7900 < Ra < 180000, elucidated emergences of wavy-roll-like coherent structures, where the roll axis is determined quasi-randomly. The roll structure takes transition with reducing the number of rolls from four to three as Ra increases via intermediate regime between the two conditions, four or three rolls. With further increase of Ra a cellular structure with characteristics of fully developed thermal turbulence occupies the entire fluid layer. We will discuss details on derivation of the power law and relation with turbulent superstructures that have recently been discussed.