Linear Stability of a Double Diffusive Layer of an Infinite Prandtl Number Fluid with Temperature-Dependent Viscosity

Abstract

An infinite horizontal layer, with vertically stratified temperature and solute concentration, is considered in the case where the viscosity is exponentially dependent on temperature, and the Prandtl number is infinite. Its linear stability is investigated when the destabilizing thermal gradient acts against a stabilizing solute gradient. The analysis is performed using horizontal Fourier and vertical Chebyshev polynomial expansions. For the constant viscosity case, the laws well established in the free boundary configuration are seen to be directly suitable for the rigid one. In the variable viscosity case, characterised by a given viscosity contrast c, the scaling laws with c are settled extrapolating to the double diffusive situation the approach initiated by Stengel et al. (1982). In contrast with the constant viscosity case, the critical wave number is found to be strongly dependent on the solutal Rayleigh number in the marginal oscillatory obtained at large contrast values.