An Implicit Pressure Velocity Algorithm Applied to Oscillatory Convection in Low Prandtl Fluid

Summary

An unsteady flow calculation program based on a Pressure implicit split operator is applied to the proposed benchmark case: natural convection in a rectangular cavity (aspect ratio 4) containing a liquid metal Pr < 0.05 and subjected to an horizontal temperature gradient. The calculations are performed from rest for thermal conducting conditions on the horizontal boundaries in both of the cases Rigid-Rigid (top surface is a wall) or Rigid Free (top surface is free). Use is made of the modified strongly implicit method for solving the coupled linear systems of dynamic and thermal transport obtained from a control volume staggered grid discretization with forward time centered space scheme. The transition to periodic oscillations is observed as the Grashof number increases from 10,000 to 50,000 and the dynamic properties are pointed out.