Vortex Ring Formation within a Spherical Container with Natural Convection
Gerardo Anguiano-Orozco1,2, Rubén Avila3
CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.49, No.3, pp. 217-254, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.049.217
Abstract A numerical investigation of the transient, three dimensional, laminar natural convection of a fluid confined in a spherical container is carried out. Initially the fluid is quiescent with a uniform temperature Ti equal to the temperature of the wall of the container. At time t=0, the temperature of the wall is suddenly lowered to a uniform temperature Tw=0. The natural convection, that conducts to a vortex ring formation within the sphere, is driven by a terrestrial gravity force (laboratory gravity) and by the step change in the temperature of the wall. A scaling analysis of a simplified… More >