Thermally driven motion of highly viscous fluids (Q1085741)

Using a formal, unified method described in a previous paper [the author, ibid. 27, 2239-2251 (1984; Zbl 0564.76011)] several sets of equations are derived governing the thermally driven motion of highly viscous fluids. The cases covered are (i) a strongly heated fluid; (ii) a strongly heated, shallow fluid; (iii) a strongly heated, deep liquid with a small coefficient of volume expansion; (iv) a weakly heated, deep fluid; (v) a weakly heated, deep fluid with large Prandtl number; and (vi) a strongly heated, deep liquid with large Prandtl number and small coefficient of volume expansion. These cases are distinguished by the orders of magnitude of the following five parameters: the Prandtl number, the nondimensionalized depth of the fluid, the nondimensionalized coefficient of volume expansion, the 'absolute' Grashof number, and the heat addition parameter. In all six sets of equations obtained, the inertia terms are absent from the momentum equations. The thermal initia terms are absent from the energy equations for cases (i), (ii) and (iii). The unperturbed situations arising in cases (iii)-(vi) are supposed to be steady and quiescent. Corresponding unperturbed solutions are presented in detail.