THERMOCAPILLARY FLOWS IN FINITE-SIZE SYSTEMS

Thermocapillary driven flows in differentially heated cavities and cylindrical liquid bridges are reviewed. The exploration of the Bow structures and the transitions between two- and three-dimensional solutions has made significant progress by the application of numerical methods. Results of these calculations together with comments concerning the applied numerical techniques are presented in order to give a comprehensive picture of the possible Bow phenomena. Although linear and nonlinear steady two-dimensional flows are well understood, their stability and the nonlinear dynamics of fully developed three-dimensional thermocapillary convection still provide challenges for future numerical investigations.