Prandtl number effects for Marangoni convection over a flat surface

Marangoni convection, which is induced by the variation of the surface tens ion with temperature along a surface, influences crystal growth melts and o ther processes with liquid-vapor interfaces, such as boiling in both microg ravity and in normal gravity in some cases. This paper presents a similarit y solution for Marangoni flow over a fiat surface for both the momentum equ ations and the energy equation assuming a developing boundary layer along a surface. Solutions are presented for the surface velocity, the total flow rate and the heat transfer for various temperature profiles and various Pra ndtl numbers. The analysis also shows how the heat transfer variation with Prandtl number changes for Prandtl numbers from much less than one to much greater than one. For large bubbles, the predicted boundary layer thickness would be less than the bubble diameter, so the cu Nature effects could be neglected and this analysis could be used as a first estimate of the effect of Marangoni flow around a vapor bubble. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques e t medicales Elsevier SAS.