Transient behaviours of float zones in mu-g and 1-g environments

This work is concerned with the problem of the transient behaviours of the axisymmetric thermocapillary laminar flow occurring inside a half zone subj ected to a variable thermal boundary condition during a heating process. Th e molten liquid with its deformable free surface is considered incompressib le with constant Physical properties except for its density in buoyancy for ces where Boussinesq's approximation has been applied The system of governi ng equations has been successfully solved by using the modified-SIMPLE meth od, while the instantaneous position of the free surface was determined by employing a special procedure. Numerical simulations have been carried out for both NaNO3 and Silicon float zones operating under 1-g and mu-g conditi ons. The transient behaviours as well as the influence of the Marangoni num ber and the aspect ratio have been investigated.