Numerical study of the onset of longitudinal vortices in a boundary layer flow over a horizontal flat plate heated from below is presented. The onset position is determined as long as the gradually growing disturbances are large enough to be detected by measurements. Various experimental techniques, such as flow visualization, thermocouple temperature reading, LDA, hot-wire velocity anemometry, and heat transfer measurement, are carefully examined for evaluating the onset criteria in the numerical solution. The governing parameters on the onset position x* of longitudinal vortices are Prandtl number, wave number a, and the ratio of Grashof number and Reynolds number GrLReL1.5. The obtained onset position (Grx/ReL1.5)* and corresponding wave number a*x*1/2 are independent of the values of GrL/ReL1.5 = 500, 1000, and 1500 used, and weakly depend on the applied initial temperature t0 = 10−4, 5 × 10−5, 10−5 and 10−6, and the different onset criteria. The results of present numerical study are in good agreement with the previous experimental data.

Issue Section:
Forced Convection
Keywords:
Flow Instability, Flow Transition, Forced Convection
Topics:
Boundary layers, Flow (Dynamics), Vortices, Temperature, Waves, Flat plates, Flow instability, Flow visualization, Forced convection, Heat transfer, Prandtl number, Reynolds number, Thermocouples, Wire
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