Steady convective motions in a plane horizontal fluid layer with permeable boundaries

Abstract

In a plane horizontal fluid layer bounded by permeable plane surfaces which are heated to different temperatures and between which transverse flow takes place with uniform velocity, convection occurs at a definite critical Rayieigh number. The study of the disturbance spectrum and the convective stability, made within the framework of linear theory in [1], showed that convective instability in the layer with permeable boundaries, just as in the case of the Rayieigh problem, is associated with the development of monotonie disturbances. It turns out that the transverse motion in the layer leads to a considerable increase of the Rayieigh number. Linear theory does not permit analysis of the development of the disturbances in the supercritical region. Analysis of the developed nonlinear motion can be made only on the basis of the complete nonlinear convection equations.

In this investigation we made a numerical study of nonlinear motions in the supercritical region. Calculations were made on a computer via the grid method. Solutions are obtained for the nonlinear equations of motion over a wide range of Rayieigh numbers for different values of the Peclet number, whichdefines the intensity of the transverse motion in the layer.