ISSN Online: 2377-424X
ISBN Print: 0-89116-909-1
International Heat Transfer Conference 9
CONVECTIVE INSTABILITY IN THE THERMAL ENTRANCE REGION OF PLANE COUETTE FLOW HEATED UNIFORMLY FROM BELOW
Sinopsis
The onset of longitudinal vortex rolls due to buoyant forces in the thermal entrance region of plane Couette flow is investigated theoretically. By employing the propagation theory based on linear stability theory a new set of stability equations implying the spatial propagation of disturbances are formulated for the constant heat flux case. In the present system the critical value of the parameter Ra/Gz4/3 is found to increase with a decrease in Prandtl number. It is shown that for water the theoretically predicted values to mark the onset of longitudinal vortices compare very favorably with available experimental data.