Thermocapillary convection in a plane liquid layer with concentration heat sources

Abstract

Thermocapillary instability of a plane liquid binary-mixture layer with time-dependent surface tension is studied under weightlessness conditions. The liquid is heated (or cooled) due to heat release by an active admixture. The heat release rate is proportional to the active-component concentration. The admixture is transported by convection and diffusion. The active component “burns up” with time. The neutral curves for monotonous and oscillating disturbances are found for different values of the nondimensional parameters. Some nonlinear convection regimes are studied numerically by a finite-difference method. The dependence of the convective flow intensity on the Marangoni number is determined. The phase portraits of unsteady regimes are found.