Three-dimensional effect of high frequency vibration on convection in silicon melt

Abstract

Using the Chebyshev spectral method, the effect of high frequency (HF) vibrations on a cubic cell heated from the side and containing a liquid metal is investigated. This study extends the numerical and theoretical two-dimensional results presented in the authors’ past work [Phys. Fluids 31, 043605 (2019)] about the influence of HF vibration direction on the flow structure in a rectangular crucible filled with a liquid metal. The vibration direction can now be three dimensional, and not limited to the main flow plane. In practice, the study considers that the vibration vector is contained in one of the three principal planes of the cavity (xz,xy, and yz planes). Two different cases, i.e., under weightlessness and gravity conditions, are considered for each type of vibration to better understand the separate effect of both vibration and buoyancy forces and also their combined effects. Each type of vibration has its own features and affects the flow intensity and patterns differently