Effect of heating orientation on oscillatory thermocapillary flow in liquid bridges

Oscillatory thermocapillary flow in liquid bridges of high Prandtl number fluids is investigated experimentally as well as numerically. Heat loss from the free surface is shown to have significant influence on the onset of oscillations. In the present work the surrounding air flow pattern is changed by heating the liquid bridge from the top or from the bottom. The results show that the local free surface heat transfer rate, especially near the hot wall, has strong effects on the oscillations.