Time Evolution Features of Entropy Generation Rate in Turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard Convection with Mixed Insulating and Conducting Boundary Conditions

Entropy (Basel). 2020 Jun 17;22(6):672. doi: 10.3390/e22060672.

Abstract

Time evolution features of kinetic and thermal entropy generation rates in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) convection with mixed insulating and conducting boundary conditions at Ra = 109 are numerically investigated using the lattice Boltzmann method. The state of flow gradually develops from laminar flow to full turbulent thermal convection motion, and further evolves from full turbulent thermal convection to dissipation flow in the process of turbulent energy transfer. It was seen that the viscous, thermal, and total entropy generation rates gradually increase in wide range of t/τ < 32 with temporal evolution. However, the viscous, thermal, and total entropy generation rates evidently decrease at time t/τ = 64 compared to that of early time. The probability density function distributions, spatial-temporal features of the viscous, thermal, and total entropy generation rates in the closed system provide significant physical insight into the process of the energy injection, the kinetic energy, the kinetic energy transfer, the thermal energy transfer, the viscous dissipated flow and thermal dissipation.

Keywords: entropy generation rate; heat transfer; mixed boundary conditions; thermal plume.