Fluid flow that occurs due to heterogeneous fluid properties and body forces
Not to be confused with Conviction.
Simulation of thermal convection in the Earth's mantle. Hot areas are shown in red, cold areas are shown in blue. A hot, less-dense material at the bottom moves upwards, and likewise, cold material from the top moves downwards.
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convection is unspecified, convection due to the effects of thermal expansion and buoyancy can be assumed. Convection may also take place in soft solids or mixtures where particles can flow.
Thermal image of a newly lit Ghillie kettle. The plume of hot air resulting from the convection current is visible.
Convective flow may be transient (such as when a multiphase mixture of oil and water separates) or steady state (see Convection cell). The convection may be due to gravitational, electromagnetic or fictitious body forces. Heat transfer by natural convection plays a role in the structure of Earth's atmosphere, its oceans, and its mantle. Discrete convective cells in the atmosphere can be identified by clouds, with stronger convection resulting in thunderstorms. Natural convection also plays a role in stellar physics. Convection is often categorised or described by the main effect causing the convective flow; for example, thermal convection.
Convection cannot take place in most solids because neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion of matter can take place.
Granular convection is a similar phenomenon in granular material instead of fluids.
Advection is fluid motion created by velocity instead of thermal gradients.
Convective heat transfer is the intentional use of convection as a method for heat transfer. Convection is a process in which heat is carried from place to place by the bulk movement of a fluid and gases.
the cause of the convection is unspecified, convection due to the effects of thermal expansion and buoyancy can be assumed. Convection may also take place...
A convection oven (also known as a fan-assisted oven, turbo broiler or simply a fan oven or turbo) is an oven that has fans to circulate air around food...
A convection zone, convective zone or convective region of a star is a layer which is unstable due to convection. Energy is primarily or partially transported...
Forced convection is a mechanism, or type of transport, in which fluid motion is generated by an external source (like a pump, fan, suction device, etc...
Mantle convection is the very slow creep of Earth's solid silicate mantle as convection currents carry heat from the interior to the planet's surface....
this phenomenon occurs? (more unsolved problems in physics) Granular convection is a phenomenon where granular material subjected to shaking or vibration...
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability (temperature difference layer) in the atmosphere.[jargon] Different lapse rates...
A convection heater (otherwise known as a convector heater) is a type of heater that uses convection currents to heat and circulate air. These air currents...
classified into various mechanisms, such as thermal conduction, thermal convection, thermal radiation, and transfer of energy by phase changes. Engineers...
A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. Thermals...
air tends to rise in an updraft through the process of convection (hence the term convective precipitation). This process creates a low-pressure zone...
In fluid dynamics, a convection cell is the phenomenon that occurs when density differences exist within a body of liquid or gas. These density differences...
boundary in a fluid. Total heat transfer combines conduction and convection. Convection includes both advection (fluid motion) and diffusion (conduction)...
Convective inhibition (CIN or CINH) is a numerical measure in meteorology that indicates the amount of energy that will prevent an air parcel from rising...
ground level. There are three distinct ways that precipitation can occur. Convective precipitation is generally more intense, and of shorter duration, than...
Convective overshoot is a phenomenon of convection carrying material beyond an unstable region of the atmosphere into a stratified, stable region. Overshoot...
study of situations involving natural convection and is analogous to the Reynolds number (Re). Free convection is caused by a change in density of a fluid...
dependence, this phenomenon may be called thermo-capillary convection (or Bénard–Marangoni convection). This phenomenon was first identified in the so-called...
microwave oven is the convection microwave oven. A convection microwave oven is a combination of a standard microwave oven and a convection oven. It allows...
dynamics, convective mixing is the vertical transport of a fluid and its properties. In many important ocean and atmospheric phenomena, convection is driven...
Horizontal convective rolls, also known as horizontal roll vortices or cloud streets, are long rolls of counter-rotating air that are oriented approximately...
magnetic field. B. A. Finlayson first explained in 1970 (in his paper "Convective instability of ferromagnetic fluids", Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 40:753-767)...
by means of radiative diffusion and thermal conduction, rather than by convection. Energy travels through the radiation zone in the form of electromagnetic...
thermodynamics, combined forced convection and natural convection, or mixed convection, occurs when natural convection and forced convection mechanisms act together...
method used in numerical methods in computational fluid dynamics for convection–diffusion problems. This scheme is specific for Peclet number greater...
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