Maximum density effects on thermal instability of horizontal laminar boundary layers

Linear stability theory is used to investigate the onset of longitudinal vortices in laminar boundary layers along horizontal semi-infinite flat plates heated or cooled isothermally from below by considering the density inversion effect for water using a cubic temperature-density relationship. The analysis employs non-parallel flow model incorporating the variation of the basic flow and temperature fields with the streamwise coordinate as well as the transverse velocity component in the disturbance equations. Numerical results for the critical Grashof number Gr _L ^* =Gr _X ^* /Re _X< ^{Emphasis>/3/2} are presented for thermal conditions corresponding to –0.5 ₁–2.0 and –0.8 ₂1.2.Nomenclature a wavenumber, 2/ - D operator, d/d - F (f–f)/2 - f dimensionless stream function - g gravitational acceleration - G eigenvalue, Gr _L/Re_L - Gr _L Grashof number based on L - Gr _X Grashof number based on X - L characteristic length, (X/U)^1/2 - M number of divisions in y direction - P pressure - Pr Prandtl number, / - p dimensionless pressure, P/( ² /Re _L) - Re _L, Re_X Reynolds numbers, (U L/)=Re _X< ^1/2 and (U), respectively - T temperature - U, V, W velocity components in X, Y, Z directions - u, v, w dimensionless perturbation velocities, (U, V, W)/U - X, Y, Z rectangular coordinates - x, y, z dimensionless coordinates, (X, Y, Z)/L - thermal diffusivity - coefficient of thermal expansion - ₁, ₂ temperature coefficients for density-temperature relationship - similarity variable, Y/L=y - dimensionless temperature disturbance, /T - dimensionless wavelength of vortex rolls, 2/a - ₁, ₂ thermal parameters defined by equation (12) - kinematic viscosity - density - dimensionless basic temperature, (T _b T )/T - –1 - T temperature difference, (T _w–T ) - * critical value or dimensionless disturbance amplitude - prime, disturbance quantity or differentiation with respect to - b basic flow quantity - max value at a density maximum - w value at wall - free stream condition