Polymer heat transport enhancement in thermal convection: the case of Rayleigh-Taylor turbulence
arXiv:1001.3314 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.184501
Abstract
We study the effects of polymer additives on turbulence generated by the ubiquitous Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Numerical simulations of complete viscoelastic models provide clear evidence that the heat transport is enhanced up to 50% with respect to the Newtonian case. This phenomenon is accompanied by a speed up of the mixing layer growth. We give a phenomenological interpretation of these results based on small-scale turbulent reduction induced by polymers.
4 pages, 5 figures