Influence of thermal and solutal Marangoni effects on free surface deformation in an open rectangular cavity

Abstract

Steady thermo-solutocapillary convection in a rectangular cavity with deformable free surface under microgravity condition is numerically studied, where level set method is employed to capture the free surface deformation. Both the temperature and solute concentration gradients are applied horizontally. The computational results show that, as the thermal to solutal Marangoni number ratio varies between -10 and -1 (namely, -10 ≤ Rσ < -1), the flow field exists one anti-clockwise rotating convective cell driven by thermocapillary convection, and the free surface bulges out near the left end wall and bulges in near the right end wall. As -1 < Rσ < 0, the flow field exists one clockwise rotating convective cell driven by solutocapillary convection, and the free surface bulges out near the right end wall and bulges in near the left end wall. As Rσ = -1, the flow field consists of one clockwise and one anti-clockwise rotating convective cells, and the free surface bulges in at the central point and bulges out near the left and right end walls.