The stability analysis of volatile liquid films in different evaporation regimes

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how different evaporation regimes affect the stability of volatile liquid films on heated inclined surfaces, considering complex interactions of evaporation, vapor diffusion, and surface tension effects.

Contribution

It introduces a modified evaporation model combined with long-wave theory to explore stability across evaporation regimes, revealing new insights into Marangoni effects and film thinning impacts.

Findings

Identification of a balanced evaporation regime affecting stability

Vapor diffusion influences transition from convective to absolute instability

Film thinning can induce stability transitions

Abstract

We investigate the role of the evaporation regime on the stability of a volatile liquid film flowing over an inclined heated surface while considering the dynamics of both the liquid phase and the diffusion of its vapor. We (i) modify the kinetic-diffusion evaporation model of Sultan et al. [Sultan et al., J. Fluid Mech. 543, 183, (2005)] to allow for the reduction in film thickness caused by evaporative mass loss, (ii) combine it with the liquid film formulation of Joo et al. [Joo et al., J. Fluid Mech. 230, 117, (1991)], and then (iii) utilize long-wave theory to derive a governing equation encapsulating the effects of inertia, hydrostatic pressure, surface tension, thermocapillarity, and evaporation. The system's dispersion relationship reveals that the Marangoni effect has two distinct components. The first results from surface tension gradients driven by the uneven heating of the liquid interface and is always destabilizing, while the second arises from surface tension gradients caused by imbalances in its latent cooling tied to vapor diffusion above it and is either stabilizing or destabilizing depending on the evaporation regime. These two components interact with evaporative mass loss and vapor recoil in a rich and dynamic manner. Moreover, we identify an evaporation regime where the kinetic and diffusion phenomena are precisely balanced and we clarify the dependence of the mass loss instability on the wave number, which we attribute to the presence of a variable vapor gradient above the liquid. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of film thinning on its stability at the two opposing limits of the evaporation regime. Finally, we conduct a spatiotemporal analysis which indicates that the strength of vapor diffusion effects is generally correlated with a shift towards absolute instability, while the thinning of the film can cause convective-to-absolute-to-convective transitions.