Applicability of the approximation of Stokes for calculating the velocity of a steam-air jet over a locally heated water surface

Abstract

This paper presents a mathematical model of an air steam flow arising above a locally heated water surface. The model is based on the system of equations of free convection in the Boussinesq approximation and is implemented as a computer program in C language. Numerical simulation aided in obtaining the velocity fields of the jet are obtained at various values of the water surface temperature. The values of the flow velocities obtained in the framework of the Stokes approximation are compared with the calculated values based on the results of experiments on the levitation of water droplets. As a result of the comparison, the condition of the applicability of the approximation of Stokes to estimate the velocity of an air steam flow is formulated.