Abstract
Thermocapillary convection driven by a uniform heat flux in an open cylindrical container of unit aspect ratio is investigated by two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations. The undeformable free surface is either flat or curved as determined by the fluid volume (V ≤ 1) and the Young-Laplace equation. Convection is steady and axisymmetric at sufficiently low values of the Reynolds number (Re) with either flat or curved interfaces. Only steady convection is possible in strictly axisymmetric computations. Transition to oscillatory three-dimensional motions occurs as Re increases beyond a critical value dependent on Pr and V. With a flat free surface (V = 1), two-lobed pulsating waves are found on the free surface and prevail with increasing Re. While the critical Re increases with increasing Pr, the critical frequency decreases. In the case of a concave surface, four azimuthal waves are found rotating clockwise on the surface. The critical Re decreases with increasing fluid volume, and the critical frequency is found to increase. The numerical results with either flat or curved free surfaces are in good quantitative agreement with space experiments.
