This magnified photo shows Rayleigh-Benard convection cells in silicone oil. This buoyancy-driven convection occurs when a fluid is heated from below and cooled above. Inside the cells, fluid rises through Keep reading
Tag: convection cell
Convection Cells
Human eyesight is not always the best for observing how nature behaves around us. Fortunately, we’ve developed cameras and sensors that allow us to effectively see in wavelengths beyond those Keep reading
Holiday Fluids: Cocoa Convection
If you make a proper cup of hot chocolate this holiday, watch carefully and you just may catch some Rayleigh-Benard convection like the video above. (Note, video playback is 3x.) Keep reading
Convective Cells
Convective cells form as fluid is heated from below. As the fluid near the bottom warms, its density decreases and buoyancy causes it to rise while cooler fluid descends to Keep reading
Convection Visualization
Here on Earth a fascinating form of convection occurs every time we put a pot of water on the stove. As the fluid near the burner warms up, its density Keep reading
2D Convection
This simulation shows 2D Rayleigh-Benard convection in which a fluid of uniform initial temperature is heated from below and cooled from above. This is roughly analogous to the situation of Keep reading
Cloud Streets
Cloud streets–long rows of counter-rotating air parallel to the ground in the planetary boundary layer–are thought to form as a result of cold air blowing over warm waters while caught Keep reading
Aurora Physics
The auroras at Earth’s poles are much more than pretty lights. This video explains their formation; fluid mechanics (specifically magnetohydrodynamics) play a major role in the convective transport of heat Keep reading
Solutal Convection
Solutal convection, rather than relying on temperature gradients, can occur due to gradients in concentration or in surface tension. While less spectacular than this previously posted video, this video contains Keep reading
Solar Fluid Dynamics
The sun is a wild place fluid dynamically. The surface is riddled with convection cells the size of the Earth, and prominences of plasma (ionized gas) erupt from the surface Keep reading