Structure in turbulent thermal convection

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Abstract
Small‐scale features of vorticity, strain rate, and temperature gradients are considered in a Rayleigh–Bénard convection. The results reported are from a direct numerical simulation of turbulent convection performed in a rectangular box of aspect ratio 2√2 at a Rayleigh number of 6.5×106 and a Prandtl number of 0.72. In agreement with earlier results [Ashurst et al., Phys. Fluids 30, 2343 (1987) and Ruetsch and Maxey, Phys. Fluids A 3, 1587 (1991)], the intermediate strain rate is on an average positive, but the ratio of alpha, beta, and gamma strain rates are measured to be 5.3:1.0:−6.3. This result differs from the earlier result of 3:1:−4 obtained in homogeneous isotropic and shear turbulences. Buoyancy‐induced vorticity production makes significant contribution to the overall enstrophy balance, especially close to the boundaries. Vorticity production by buoyancy is exclusively in the horizontal direction and is balanced by preferred production by stretching and tilting in the vertical direction, due to the preferred alignment of extensional alpha strain rate with the vertical direction. Such directional alignment of vorticity, strain rate, and scalar gradient is explained on the basis of preferred spatial orientation of coherent structures in thermal turbulence.