Synchronization of natural convection in thermostatically controlled adjacent cavities: effect of common wall properties*

Synchronization is a phenomenon that was first reported by Christian Huygens in the 17th century. Since then it has been found in several science and engineering applications such as electrical, mechanical, optical and thermal, among others. In thermal systems, analytical studies of two similar cavities separated by a common wall, with similar heat sources and independent thermostatic temperature control shown the existence of temperature synchronization inside the cavities, recently it was confirmed experimentally. In the present work, the experimental model consists of two cuboid cavities separated by a common wall, inside each one a heat source was installed, and the temperature was controlled by a computer-based thermostat. Different common walls were used in the experiments. In all experiments the cavities maintained their inner dimensions. The experiments showed the effect of the thickness and material (thermal resistance) of the wall on the phase difference Δ∅. The results demonstrate that the thickness affects Δ∅, but the frequency of the temperature is barely affected. In general, thermal resistance has a significant effect on Δ∅, changing his value and its sign.