Development of the UCLA Rotating Magnetoconvection Device

Details Development of the UCLA Rotating Magnetoconvection Device Development of the UCLA Rotating Magnetoconvection Device

Dec 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agufmgp31a0084k&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #GP31A-0084

Physics

1507 Core Processes (1213, 8115), 1510 Dynamo: Theories And Simulations, 1594 Instruments And Techniques, 5440 Magnetic Fields And Magnetism, 5734 Magnetic Fields And Magnetism

Scientific paper

The magnetic fields of the terrestrial planets are likely generated by convection within the electrically-conductive fluid regions of planetary cores. These convective motions are controlled predominantly by Coriolis, Lorentz, and buoyancy forces. To simulate this complex balance of forces, we have designed and fabricated an experimental rotating magnetoconvection device, which will allow us to provide a detailed characterization of flow dynamics at nearly planetary parameter values in liquid gallium (Prandtl number, Pr = 0.023; Rayleigh number, Ra ~ 108; Taylor number, Ta ~ 5 × 1012; Chandrasekhar number, Q ~ 106). Furthermore, this set-up has the advantage of attaining an Elsasser number, the ratio of Lorentz and Coriolis forces, close to one, as is estimated for the geodynamo. Quantitative thermal, velocity and magnetic field measurements will allow us to test accepted theories about how the Elsasser number may control convection in the core. As our first step, we are carrying out a suite of non-rotating, non-magnetic Rayleigh-Bénard convection experiments. Using water as the working fluid, we have made thermal measurements spanning Rayleigh number values from 6 × 104 to 5 × 109. Over this five decade range, we found the Nusselt number, a non-dimensional measure of the convective heat transfer, to vary as Nu = 0.144 Ra0.292 ± 0.005, in good agreement with previous Rayleigh-Bénard convection studies.

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