Large-scale semi-organized rolls in a sheared convective turbulence: Mean-field simulations

Abstract: Based on a mean-field theory of a non-rotating turbulent convection (Phys. Rev. E {\bf 66}, 066305, 2002), we perform mean-field simulations (MFS) of sheared convection which takes into account an effect of modification of the turbulent heat flux by the non-uniform large-scale motions. As the result of this effect, there is an excitation of large-scale convective-shear instability, which causes the formation of large-scale semi-organized structures in the form of rolls. The life-times and spatial scales of these structures are much larger compared to the turbulent scales. By means of MFS performed for stress-free and no-slip vertical boundary conditions, we determine the spatial and temporal characteristics of these structures. Our study demonstrates that the modification of the turbulent heat flux by non-uniform flows leads to a strong reduction of the critical effective Rayleigh number (based on the eddy viscosity and turbulent temperature diffusivity) required for the formation of the large-scale rolls. During the nonlinear stage of the convective-shear instability, there is a transition from the two-layer vertical structure with two roles in the vertical direction before the system reaches steady-state to the one-layer vertical structure with one role after the system reaches steady-state. This effect is observed for all effective Rayleigh numbers. We find that inside the convective rolls, the spatial distribution of the mean potential temperature includes regions with a positive vertical gradient of the potential temperature caused by the mean heat flux of the convective rolls. This study might be useful for understanding of the origin of large-scale rolls observed in atmospheric convective boundary layers as well as in numerical simulations and laboratory experiments.