Key words: thermal gravitational convection, thermodynamic critical point, Navier-Stokes equations, numerical and physical experiment
Two problems, the thermal gravity convection in a horizontal layer caused by heating from bellow and the unsteady-state heat transfer in a closed domain heated from boundaries, are considered for demonstrating characteristic features of heat transfer
in a supercritical fluid. The isoentropic equilibrium of a compressible fluid is considered with the use of the van der Waals equation of state. The results of calculations are generalized, and the characteristic features of the convective heat transfer are discussed for the case of a supercritical fluid beyond the threshold of hydrostatic stability. The results of numerical and experimental studies of the relaxation of density and temperature perturbations caused by changing the wall temperature are presented. A set of Navier-Stokes equations supplemented with the equation of state for a perfect or a van der Waals gas was used for the calculations.