2003 Volume 29 Issue 5 Pages 622-627
Double-diffusive convection in a solutally stratified fluid of two layers destabilized by lateral heating and cooling was studied experimentally. In the experiments, the breaking time of the interface, i.e., the time when the mixing of the two layers starts, was measured for five aqueous solutions with different solutes (Na2CO3, Na2SO4, NaCI, NH4C1 and KCl) and for three closed vessels with different aspect ratios (A=0.55, 1.1 and 2.2). The initial concentration difference between the two layers and the temperature difference between the two vertical walls were also varied extensively. Based on the result of dimension analysis, a non-dimensional equation was proposed for correlating the breaking time of the interface, tm, with the thermal Rayleigh number, Rat, the initial buoyancy ratio, No, and the Schmidt number, Sc. The equation was also valid for experimental data reported in the literature.