Numerical modeling of thermocapillary convection in a fluid layer with local heating of the free surface

Abstract

Thermocapillary convection in a plane horizontal fluid layer with concentrated heating of the free surface is modeled numerically using the Navier-Stokes equations and the heat transport equation. This makes it possible to examine the structure of the convection throughout the fluid volume, in particular in the region where the motion is weak. The deformation of the free surface is assumed to be negligibly small. In the case of a ponderable fluid this assumption is justified given certain upper and lower constraints on the temperature difference and the thickness of the layer, respectively, [9, 10]. Under conditions of weightlessness a fluid layer of constant thickness in a rectangular channel can be realized at a contact angle of 90° [7].