Numerical simulation of natural convection in a slender cylinder under the influence of rotation

The effect of rotation on natural convection in a cylindrical container, where the temperature gradient and the body force vectors are parallel, but perpendicular to the rotation vector is studied by means of a numerical simulation. The governing equations are solved with a finite volume method using the SIMPLEC decoupling strategy. We explore flows with Rayleigh and Coriolis numbers in the ranges 106 < Ra < 1.8 × 106 and 0 < Ω < 4167 respectively. The most notable differences found in the flow patterns observed with rotation as compared against the base natural convection flow with no rotation is that in contrast to the flow pattern that occurs in absence of rotation, the orientation of the convective cell is fixed with its axis of rotation parallel to the rotation vector. Also, we find that large enough Coriolis numbers can turn a time-dependent flow in the absence of rotation into a steady state flow and we determine the corresponding critical Coriolis numbers as function of the Rayleigh number. The effect of Rayleigh and Coriolis numbers on the total heat transfer (Nusselt number) is also described. It is expected that the present study can be useful for understanding some crystal growth processes.