ISSN Online: 2377-424X
ISBN Print: 0-89116-299-2
International Heat Transfer Conference 7
VISUALIZATION OF CONVECTION IN ROTATING SPHERICAL ANNULI
Abstract
Thermal convection in spherical annuli was investigated by visualization of the streamlines. The working fluid was air made visible by cigar smoke. Convection was established by combinations of temperature differences between the nearly Isothermal spheres and the differential rotation of each boundary about common vertical axes giving either natural, forced, or combined convection. The effects of gap width, angular velocity ratio, and Reynolds and Grashof numbers on the streamlines are presented. The results agree qualitatively with earlier predictions based on theory or on other experiments. Results for moderate to large Reynolds numbers are also presented.