Turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection in non-colloidal suspensions

This study presents direct numerical simulations of turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection in non-colloidal suspensions, with special focus on the heat transfer modifications in the flow. Adopting a Rayleigh number of 10(8) and Prandtl number of 7, parametric investigations of the particle volume fraction 0 <= Phi <= 40% and particle diameter 1/20 <= d(p)* <= 1/10 with respect to the cavity height, are carried out. The particles are neutrally buoyant, rigid spheres with physical properties that match the fluid phase. Up to Phi = 25 %, the Nusselt number increases weakly but steadily, mainly due to the increased thermal agitation that overcomes the decreased kinetic energy of the flow. Beyond Phi = 30 %, the Nusselt number exhibits a substantial drop, down to approximately 1/3 of the single-phase value. This decrease is attributed to the dense particle layering in the near-wall region, confirmed by the time-averaged local volume fraction. The dense particle layer reduces the convection in the near-wall region and negates the formation of any coherent structures within one particle diameter from the wall. Significant differences between Phi <= 30% and 40% are observed in all statistical quantities, including heat transfer and turbulent kinetic energy budgets, and two-point correlations. Special attention is also given to the role of particle rotation, which is shown to contribute to maintaining high heat transfer rates in moderate volume fractions. Furthermore, decreasing the particle size promotes the particle layering next to the wall, inducing a similar heat transfer reduction as in the highest particle volume fraction case.