Anomalies of the natural convection of water near 3.98°C

Abstract

Natural convection of water in a cylindrical cavity with an open surface at a temperature of about 3.98°C (temperature of the maximum water density) is accompanied by typical anomalies on time dependences of temperatures of water layers. In particular, stabilization of temperature T_st is observed in the bottom region of the cavity and duration of such stabilization t_st may reach several hours depending on the experimental conditions. The results for solutions of sodium chloride and ethanol at a relatively low rate of water cooling show that temperature T_st coincides with temperature T_max corresponding to the maximum density of solutions.