Publications
Computational stability study of 3D flow in a differentially heated 8:1:1 cavity
The critical Rayleigh number Racr of the Hopf bifurcation that signals the limit of steady flows in a differentially heated 8:1:1 cavity is computed. The two-dimensional analog of this problem was the subject of a comprehensive set of benchmark calculations that included the estimation of Racr [1]. In this work we begin to answer the question of whether the 2D results carry over into 3D models. For the case of the 2D model being extruded for a depth of 1, and no-slip/no-penetration and adiabatic boundary conditions placed at these walls, the steady flow and destabilizing eigenvectors qualitatively match those from the 2D model. A mesh resolution study extending to a 20-million unknown model shows that the presence of these walls delays the first critical Rayleigh number from 3.06 × 105 to 5.13 × 105. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd.