Stability analysis of the rimming flow inside a uniformly heated rotating horizontal cylinder

Abstract

The stability analysis is presented for a thin viscous liquid film flowing inside a uniformly heated horizontal cylinder that is rotating about its axis. The free surface evolution equation for the liquid-gas interface is obtained by simplifying the Navier-Stokes and energy equations within the lubrication approximation. Various dimensionless numbers are obtained that quantify the effect of gravity, viscous drag, inertia, surface tension, and thermocapillary stress. The film thickness evolution equation is solved numerically to obtain two-dimensional, steady state solutions neglecting axial variations. A liquid pool forms at the bottom of the cylinder when gravity dominates other forces. This liquid pool is shifted in the direction of rotation when inertia or viscous drag is increased. Small axial perturbations are then imposed to the steady solutions to study their stability behavior. It is found that the inertia and capillary pressure destabilize whereas the gravity and thermocapillary stress stabilize the rimming flow. The influence of Marangoni number is reported by computing the stable and unstable parametric regions. Thicker films are shown to be more susceptible to become unstable.