Effect of Interfacial Heat Transfer on Hydrothermal Wave Propagation of Nanofluid Thermocapillary Convection in Rectangular Cavity

Abstract

For surface tension driven flow, interfacial heat transfer can alter the flow regime and its transition condition. This paper investigates the influence of interfacial heat transfer on critical transition and hydrothermal wave propagation of nanofluid thermocapillary convection for the first time, and three environment temperature conditions is considered, e.g. the cold-end temperature, the average temperature of the hot and cold-end, and a linear temperature distribution. The results indicate that, as nanoparticles volume fraction increases the critical Marangoni number decreases under various ambient temperature conditions, meanwhile, the fundamental frequency of the velocity oscillations exhibits a linear decrease, and the propagation angle and temperature fluctuation range of hydrothermal waves are decreased. Furthermore, for the three ambient temperature scenarios, the linear temperature distribution condition can amplify the propagation angle and temperature fluctuation range of hydrothermal waves. Consequently, the manipulation of both the nanoparticle volume fraction and ambient temperature condition provides a means to control the instability of nanofluid thermocapillary convection.