Experimental and numerical study of the natural convection in dispersed systems in a heated rectangular cell

In this work, we study the appearance and development of convective flows in a dispersed medium by the experimental methods and mathematical modeling. An experimental study of the dynamics of thermoconvective flows is carried out in a specially designed cell, which is a rectangular vertical cavity with the possibility of heating the walls. A series of experiments were carried out at different temperature gradients. Various modes of convective flow have been obtained. To simulate the dynamics of convective flows in a rectangular cavity, a mathematical model based on the equations of thermal convection in the diffusion approximation has been created. Convective flow patterns for a dispersed medium have been obtained. Numerical calculations coincide with the experimental results. Numerical simulation of the problem allows us to estimate the distribution of velocities, temperature, and concentration of the dispersed phase inside the cell during the formation of convective flows and the established convection regime.