Abstract
Natural convection of a fluid due to a heated or cooled boundary has been studied within a myriad of different contexts due to the prevalence of the phenomenon in environmental and engineered systems. It has, however, hitherto gone unrecognized that boundary-induced natural convection can propel immersed objects. We experimentally investigate the motion of a wedge-shaped object, immersed within a two-layer fluid system, due to a heated surface. The wedge resides at the interface between the two fluid layers of different density, and its concomitant motion provides the first demonstration of the phenomenon of propulsion via boundary-induced natural convection. Established theoretical and numerical models are used to rationalize the propulsion speed by virtue of balancing the propulsion force against the appropriate drag force.
- Received 27 May 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.204501
© 2014 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Sailing on Convection
Published 21 May 2014
Convection—the motion induced in a fluid by temperature differences—can be exploited to controllably propel macroscopic objects.
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