NUMERICAL MODELING OF BUOYANCY-DRIVEN FLOWS IN A ROTATING CYLINDRICAL CAVITY: COMPARISON OF A FINITE ELEMENT MODEL WITH A SPECTRAL MODEL

Abstract

A finite element model is developed for the prediction of the motion of rotating Boussinesq fluid driven by buoyancy. The computations art performed for the axisymmetric regime in an annular cavity for Reynolds number varying from 0 to 2500. The results are compared with those of an earlier study of this problem using a spectral Tau-Chebyshev method. The good agreement found assesses the finite element model. Finally, a complementary convergence analysis gives the sensitivity of the model to mesh refinement.

Notes

Address correspondence to Professor Marc Medale, Institut Universitaire des Systèmes Thermiques Industriels, CNRS UMR 139, Avenue Escadrille Normandie Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.