NON-LINEAR RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR STABILITY WITH MASS AND HEAT-TRANSFER

The nonlinear Rayleigh-Taylor stability of a liquid layer over a finite vapor layer is studied using a simplified formulation of the problem. The method of multiple scale expansion is employed for the investigation. It is found that when the heat transfer rate is strong enough, the classically unstable system is stabilized by the nonlinear effect and the effect of mass and heat transfer across the interface. The size of the bubbles detached from the interface can also be estimated. A simple nondimensional parameter is also found to characterize the stability of the system. © 1979 American Institute of Physics.