Cellular convection surface tension driven

At low Rayleigh numbers, Wragg (W6) found a smaller Ra dependence, resembling more the dependence in laminar free convection. In this range of Ra numbers, a cellular flow pattern is believed to exist, analogous to that of thermal and surface tension-driven cellular convection (Benard cells F3). In the range where the convection is turbulent, the Ra1/3 dependence has been confirmed over seven powers of Ra by Ravoo (R9), who used a centrifuge to vary the body force at constant bulk composition. 

Evaporation is controlled by molecular evaporation, mixed thermal conduction/ convection, and Rayleigh-Benard type cellular convection in respectively successive deeper, identifiable, horizontal thin liquid layers, all within a surface sub-layer of about 5 mm below the vapour/liquid interface. The cellular convection is probably driven by surface tension variations in the free surface of the... 

Scriven LE. Stemling CV. On cellular convection driven by surface-tension gradients effects of mean surface-tension and surface viscosity, J. Fluid Mech., 1964 19 321-340 Koschmieder EL, Biggerstaff MI. Onset of surface tension driven by Benard convictions. J. Fluid Mech. 1986 167 49-64... 

In the preceding section, we have examined a variety of steady thermocapillary and diffusocapillary flows. Not all such flows are stable and in fact surface tension variations at an interface can be sufficient to cause an instability. We consider here the cellular patterns that arise with liquid layers where one boundary is a free surface along which there is a variation in surface tension. It is well known that an unstable buoyancy driven cellular convective motion can result when a density gradient is parallel to but opposite in direction to a body force, such as gravity. An example of this type of instability was discussed in Section 5.5 in connection with density gradient centrifugation. 

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