Flow patterns of natural convection in an air-filled vertical cavity

Flow patterns of two-dimensional natural convection in a vertical air-filled tall cavity with differentially heated sidewalls are investigated. Numerical simulations based on a finite difference method are carried out for a wide range of Rayleigh numbers and aspect ratios from the onset of the steady multicellular flow, through the reverse transition to the unicellular pattern, to the unsteady multicellular flow. For aspect ratios (height/width) from 10 to 24, the various cellular structures characterized by the number of secondary cells are clarified from the simulations by means of gradually increasing Rayleigh number to 106. Unsteady multicellular solutions are found in some region of Rayleigh numbers less than those at which the reverse transition has occurred.