Abstract： The onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection in a floating half zone of 10 cst silicon oil (Prandtl number 105.6) is studied by the three-dimensional and unsteady numerical simulation in microgravity environment (g = 10-4 gearth). The results show that the steady and axi symmetric convection, for a fixed liquid bridge volume ratio Vl/V0 = 1, transits directly to the oscillatory convection if geometrical aspect ratio A is larger than the critical value Ac = 1.25, but transits to the oscillatory convection via the steady and non-axisymmetric flow if A is smaller than the critical value Ac. The result means that there are two bifurcation transitions in a liquid bridge of the large Prandtl number fluid with a smaller aspect ratio A.
TANG Ze-Mei;HU Wen-Rui. Influence of Aspect Ratio on the Onset of Thermocapillary Oscillatory Convection in a Floating Half Zone of Large Prandtl Number Fluid[J]. 中国物理快报, 2003, 20(4): 526-528.
TANG Ze-Mei, HU Wen-Rui. Influence of Aspect Ratio on the Onset of Thermocapillary Oscillatory Convection in a Floating Half Zone of Large Prandtl Number Fluid. Chin. Phys. Lett., 2003, 20(4): 526-528.
2003, Vol. 20 
