WALL CONDUCTION EFFECT ON THE ONSET OF THERMAL INSTABILITY IN HORIZONTAL RECTANGULAR CHANNELS

The effect of peripheral thermal conduction in the bottom wall on the onset of thermal instability in the thermal entrance region of horizontal, rectangular, bottom-uniform-heated channels was studied by experiment and theoretical simulation. The predicted results of the onset of thermal instability for the cases of uniform peripheral wall heat flux are in agreement with the published experimental data, but the predicted results for the cases of uniform peripheral wall temperature exceed the previous data by about an order of magnitude. The present experimental data reconfirm the present predictions. The effect of increasing the peripheral wall conduction is shown to stabilize the flow.