MARANGONI CONVECTION IN IMMISCIBLE DOUBLE LIQUID LAYERS

Steady thermocapillary driven flows of two immiscible liquid layers based on liquid GaAs (lower layer) and B2O3 (upper layer) are studied numerically in the case of a cavity subjected to a horizontal temperature gradient. Both situations with rigid or with free top surface have been considered and the interfaces are assumed to be flat. The Navier - Stokes and energy equations are solved numerically by a finite difference method in a staggered grid. Comparison of the convective flow between both situations has been performed at zero gravity field (g = 0). We also investigated the hydrodynamic influence of different physical and geometrical factors, such as the thickness ratio of the two layers, aspect ratio of the cavity and viscosity ratio, upon the flow damping in the lower layer (melt liquid).