Surface relief accompanying natural convection in liquid pools heated from below

Free-surface deformations accompanying natural convection in shallow liquid pools heated from below by a straight wire are studied. Two-dimensional flow ensues as density gradients are set up in the bulk liquid and surface tension gradients are set up in the interface. Surface profiles are measured experimentally using a reflecting schlieren technique. Profiles concave above the rising warm current are produced in the shallower pools and convex profiles in the deeper pools. The profile for intermediate depths is a hybrid with a shallow crest rising from a shallow trough. A mathematical model of the system is developed and yields numerical results in qualitative agreement with experiment. The importance of various fluid properties and system parameters on the surface profile is examined using further calculations based on the model.