Laboratory Experiments on Thermo-Chemical Convection at High Rayleigh and Prandtl Numbers

9804904richards类地行星地幔中的对流是非常剧烈的（高瑞利数），它的发生与惯性力（零雷诺数或无限普朗特数）的影响可以忽略不计。虽然现代计算机模型现在接近这种流体动力学状态，但几乎没有进行过相关的实验室实验。侦探他建议建造一个非常大的容器来研究高瑞利数和普朗特数下的对流，使用粘度对温度有很强依赖性的流体和不同密度的流体来模拟地球内部动力学中被认为重要的各种过程。这些过程包括地幔对流对地球化学成分的混合作用，以及对流对大陆动力学的影响。他们将采用新的数字视频成像技术来测量槽内的流量和温度场，同时制作一系列影片，说明地幔对流中涉及的各种流体动力学过程。他们还建议对对流的实验室模型和数值模型进行直接比较，以便为大规模计算的结果提供更好的实验验证。

9804904RichardsConvection in the mantles of terrestrial planets is extremely vigorous (high Rayleigh number), and it occurs with negligible influence from inertial forces (zero Reynolds number or infinite Prandtl number). Although modern computer models now approach this fluid dynamic regime, almost no relevant laboratory experiments have been performed. The P.I.'s propose to construct a very large tank to study convection at high Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers, using fluids with strong temperature-dependence of viscosity and differing densities to simulate a variety of processes considered important in the Earth's internal dynamics. These processes include mixing of various geochemical components by mantle convection, and the influence of convection on continental dynamics. They will employ new digital video imaging techniques to measure the flow and temperature fields in the tank, simultaneously producing a series of films illustrating the various fluid dynamic processes involved in mantle convection. They also propose to carry out direct comparisons of laboratory and numerical models of convection in order to provide much better experimental verification of results from large-scale computation.