Higher order stability effects in a natural convection boundary layer over a vertical heated wall

 The stability of a laminar boundary layer flow under natural convection on a vertical isothermally heated wall is studied analytically. The analysis is performed by using two different two-dimensional linear models: (1) The non-parallel flow model in which the steady mean flow as well as the disturbance amplitude functions can change in the streamwise direction; (2) The parallel flow model in which the effects of the mean flow and disturbance changes in the streamwise direction are neglected. The linear non-parallel stability analysis is based on the so-called parabolised stability equations (PSEs) which have been successfully applied to the stability analysis of forced convection boundary layers. In this study the PSE equations are applied to natural convection boundary layers in order to show the difference between parallel and non-parallel stability analysis. A second part of this study deals with the effects of variable properties, which are always present in natural convection flows. They are analysed by an extended version of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation (EOSE). Received on 31 May 2000