Abstract
Thermal convection of liquid metal in an enclosure is studied numerically and experimentally. Both rectangular and cylindrical enclosures are considered. Three-dimensional numerical calculations are carried out for the rectangular enclosures with aspect ratios Ar (length/height) 2 and 4, and for the cylindrical enclosure with Ar (diameter/height) 2. Dependence of the onset of oscillation on various parameters is investigated. Furthermore, oscillatory, three-dimensional flow structure is clarified. The structure is characterized by some rolls as well as cellular pattern. Some experimental results using liquid gallium (Pr=0.025) are compared with results of numerical simulation.
