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Controlling heat transport and flow structure in vertical convection using the thermoelectric effect

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2025

Liang Xue ,
Long Chen Open the ORCID record for Long Chen [Opens in a new window]  and
Ming-Jiu Ni
Liang Xue
Affiliation:
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, PR China
Long Chen*
Affiliation:
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, PR China
Ming-Jiu Ni
Affiliation:
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, PR China State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shannxi 710049, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Long Chen, chenlong@ucas.ac.cn
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Abstract

Direct numerical simulations have been conducted to explore the coupling effect of the thermoelectric effect and vertical convection (VC) in a square cavity composed of liquid lithium and stainless steel under different Hartmann numbers at $Ra=10^5$. By leveraging thermoelectric phenomena, an innovative approach is proposed to actively modulate heat transfer efficiency. The core concept lies in modulating the intensity of large-scale circulation (LSC) in VC systems through the torque generated by the interaction between thermoelectric currents and magnetic fields via Lorentz forces. The findings reveal that when the torque aligns with the direction of LSC induced by pure buoyancy, both momentum and heat transfer are enhanced. However, due to the magnetic damping itself, this enhancement is not sustained indefinitely, resulting in a trend of initial increase followed by decline in both momentum and heat transfer efficiency. Conversely, when the magnetic field direction is reversed, causing the Lorentz force torque to oppose the buoyancy-driven circulation, both momentum and heat transfer efficiency diminish until the flow reverses. By varying the magnetic field intensity, three distinct flow regimes are identified: the buoyancy-dominated regime, the thermoelectric-dominated regime and the magnetic-damping-dominated regime. The transition between the buoyancy-dominated regime and thermoelectric-dominated regime – specifically, the onset of flow reversal – is analysed through a boundary-layer–bulk–boundary-layer coupling model. This model enables precise prediction of the critical $Ha$ based on the torque balance between buoyancy forces and thermoelectrically induced Lorentz forces, and demonstrates close agreement with numerical simulations.

JFM classification

Convection: Convection MHD and Electrohydrodynamics: Magneto convection

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Type
JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1015 , 25 July 2025 , A31
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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