MENULong time Tecplot customer, Frank Muldoon, and his colleague, Hendrick Kuhlman, at the Vienna University of Technology, received the “Best Picture in Physical Science award” for this image of Invariant Streamtubes of a Hydrothermal Wave in a Thermocapillary Liquid Bridge.
Invariant Streamtubes of a Hydrothermal Wave in a Thermocapillary Liquid Bridge
Description
In microgravity, large-size cylindrical liquid bridges can be established, because they do not break. Differential heating of the support disks creates a thermocapillary flow which is a gravity-independent driving mechanism. Typically, the flow becomes three-dimensional and a rotating hydrothermal wave arises. Surprisingly, there exist regions in this complicated three-dimensional flow such that fluid from one region does not mix with fluid from another region. The image shows an axial view of several of these regions, obtained numerically, which arise in closed tori and which rotate with the same azimuthal velocity as the hydrothermal wave.
Frank Muldoon has certainly taken Tecplot 360 through its paces—over the years, he has carefully documented more than 70 issues! Congratulations again on the Award, and thank you from all of us here at Tecplot for your many years of support.
“Thanks for all your help with getting the best out of Tecplot!”
—Frank Muldoon