The eruptive regime of mass-transfer-driven Rayleigh-Marangoni convection

The transfer of an alcohol, 2-propanol, from an aqueous to an organic phase causes convection due to density differences (Rayleigh convection) and interfacial tension gradients (Marangoni convection). The coupling of the two types of convection leads to short-lived flow structures called eruptions, which were reported in several previous experimental studies. To unravel the mechanism underlying these patterns, three-dimensional direct numerical simulations and corresponding validation experiments were carried out and compared with each other. In the simulations, the Navier-Stokes-Boussinesq equations were solved with a plane interface that couples the two layers including solutal Marangoni effects. Our simulations show excellent agreement with the experimentally observed patterns. On this basis, the origin of the eruptions is explained by a two-step process in which Rayleigh convection continuously produces a concentration distribution that triggers an opposing Marangoni flow.