Effect of gravity on oscillatory Marangoni convection in half-zone formed by high Pr-number liquids Original Research Article

A study of bifurcations and of onset of chaotic regime for the thermoconvective oscillatory flow in cylindrical liquid bridge is presented. Three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations in Boussinesq approximation are solved numerically by finite volume method. Silicone oil 1 cSt at low temperature, Pr = 18.8, is chosen as test liquid. The simulations are done at both normal and zero gravity conditions. While onset of the oscillations in the system occurs earlier at 1-g case than in 0-g, the onset of chaos takes place earlier in 0-g case. Sequences of supercritical and subcritical bifurcations were observed on the way to chaos.