The present work studies the non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq (NOB) effects in a tall water-filled differentially heated cavity by means of direct numerical simulation. The obtained results reveal significant NOB effects for this configuration, due mainly to the dissimilar flow behavior in the vertical boundary layers. Consequently, aspects like the transition to turbulence and flow symmetry are affected. Instantaneous flow structures and mean flow variables are provided in order to gain insight into the complex phenomena such as turbulent mixing and interaction between the hot and cold boundary layers.

Peer Reviewed