Natural Convection in Binary Gases Due to Horizontal Thermal and Solutal Gradients

Abstract

The influence of augmenting and opposing thermal and solutal buoyancy forces on natural convection of binary gases due to horizontal temperature and concentration gradients is examined through comparison of smoke flow visualization and measured temperature and concentration distributions with numerical predictions. The observed flow at the cold wall was unsteady for opposing body forces. The same basic flow structure was observed, but the unsteady flow intensifies as the opposing solutal buoyancy force increases as compared to the thermal buoyancy force. Comparison of predicted and measured temperatures and concentrations is fair overall, but the steady-state analytical model fails to predict the unsteady flow and heat and mass transport for opposing body forces.