Onset of Convection for Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts: Laterally Bounded Systems

Authors

D. A. Vasquez
Boyd F. Edwards, Utah State UniversityFollow
J. W. Wilder

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Physical Review A

Volume

43

Issue

12

Publisher

American Physical Society

Publication Date

6-1991

First Page

6694

Last Page

6699

Abstract

Linear hydrodynamics yields the onset of convection for ascending autocatalytic reaction fronts in laterally bounded geometries. The system is studied in the limit of infinite and zero thermal diffusivity. For convection in a vertical slab of thickness a or a long vertical cylinder of radius a, the appropriate dimensionless driving parameter scrS=δga³/νD_c involves the fractional density difference δ between the unreacted and reacted fluids, the acceleration of gravity g, the kinematic viscosity ν, and the catalyst molecular diffusivity D_c. Calculated critical values scrS_c for onset of convection agree with recent experiments on iodate–arsenous acid systems. We also show that, compared with the unbounded system, the sidewalls tend to suppress convection.

Comments

http://pra.aps.org/abstract/PRA/v43/i12/p6694_1

Published by the American Physical Society in Physical Review A. Publisher PDF is available for download through the link above.

Recommended Citation

"Onset of Convection for Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts: Laterally Bounded Systems," D. A. Vasquez, B. F. Edwards, and J. W. Wilder, Phys. Rev. A 43, 6694 (1991) [41].