Steady thermocapillary flows in cylindrical containers with unit aspect ratio (radius = depth) are studied numerically and by scaling analysis in order to investigate how the velocity and thermal fields are influenced by the method of heating. Two heating modes are considered: heating by a uniform temperature cylindrical heater placed along the centerline (called the CT heating) and heating by an external radiative source (the CF heating). The steady velocity and temperature fields are computed numerically under various conditions for various Prandtl number fluids. The effects of those two types of heating on the flows are discussed. The results are also found to support the scaling laws derived herein for the characteristic velocity, length, and Nusselt number. The main thermocapillary driving force region is fixed by the heating zone area in the CF heating but it generally varies with the flow in the CT heating.

Issue Section:
Transport Phenomena in Microgravity
Keywords:
Microgravity Heat Transfer, Thermocapillary Flows
Topics:
Flow (Dynamics), Heating
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