Bénard convection in binary mixtures with Soret effects and solidification

Abstract

Bénard convection of a two-component liquid is considered. The liquid displays Soret effects and the boundary temperatures are fixed to span the solidification temperature of the mixture. Near the lower, heated plate the material is liquid and near the upper cooled plate there is a layer of pure solid solvent; all the solute is rejected during freezing. Linear stability theory is used to determine the effects on the critical conditions for Soret convection in the presence of the solidified layer and the interface between solid and liquid.Experiments on mixtures of ethyl alcohol and water are performed using interferometry, photography and thermocouple measurements. The measured onset of instability to travelling waves at negative Soret coefficient compares well with those predicted by our linear theory. In the absence of ice the waves develop at finite amplitude to a fixed-amplitude state. However, when ice is present, these waves fail to persist but evolve to a state of steady finite-amplitude (overturning) convection. These differences are attributed to the presence of the ice and the nonlinear density profile of the basic state, both of which act as sources of non-Boussinesq effects.