Thermocapillary convection stability in a cylindrically-symmetric two-phase system

Thermocapillary flows in an infinitely long liquid cylinder surrounded by a coaxial gas layer with a controlled flow rate and the stability of such flows are investigated. In the layers a constant axial temperature gradient is maintained. An exact solution of the equations of motion describing the steady-state flow in this two-phase system is derived. Possible flow regimes and their stability in the linear approximation are studied. It is shown that in the liquid phase the thermocapillary flow can be completely stopped by the gas flow at the expense of the interaction between mechanical stresses at the interface. The results obtained indicate the possibility of controlling thermocapillary flows and their stability by means of gas flows.