Asymptotic solution for plume at very large and small Prandtl numbers

Abstract

The investigation of laminar free convective plumes in an otherwise stationary environment has formed the basis of numerous investigations, initiated by Zeldovich (1937). For the non-rotating environment alone the authors have been able to locate twenty-nine papers: many of these repeat work previously undertaken. There are, however, two cases of some technological significance which have so far not been considered: (i) the plume in an otherwise quiescent environment for a fluid of very large Prandtl number, of importance in the heating of reservoirs of viscous fluid such as fuel oil; and (ii) the case of vanishingly small Prandtl number, of application to liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactors. Both of these cases have some theoretical interest, as will be shown. Their analysis leads to singular asymptotic perturbations and hence to matched-expansions techniques.