Marangoni Convection Flow of Two Immiscible Fluids in an Open Cavity

This paper concerns the numerical study of the flow characteristics of Marangoni convection in a square cavity filled with two layers of immiscible fluids. The enclosure has an adiabatic bottom wall and a free surface subjected to a thermocapillary effect, while the vertical walls are deferentially heated. The governing equations are discretized using the finite volume method. The system of algebraic equations obtained is solved using the line by line method, based on the SIMPLER algorithm to treat the pressure-velocity coupling. The explanation of the influence of various dimensionless parameters such as the dynamic viscosity and thermal diffusivity ratios on both hydrodynamic and thermal behavior of the flow is provided taking into account the interaction of the two fluids within the cavity. The results show that a high Marangoni number (Ma = 1,000) generates a movement of the fluid from low values of interfacial tension to large values. Heat transfer is reinforced when the upper phase in contact with air is less viscous and more conductive of heat.