Stability of buoyancy-induced flows adjacent to a vertical isothermal surface in cold pure water

Abstract

Numerical solutions of the hydrodynamic stability equations for buoyancy-induced flows adjacent to a vertical, planar, isothermal surface in cold pure water have been obtained for various values of the density extremum parameterR=(Tm−T∞)/(Tc−T∞). The present numerical study yields neutral stability results for the region of the flows corresponding to 0.0≤R≤0.1515, where outside buoyancy force reversals arise. Also, it includes the relative stability of the three previously predicted multiple, steady-state solutions of the flow. When the stability results of the present work are compared to the previous experimental data, the numerical results agree well qualitatively.