Convective instabilities in horizontally propagating vertical chemical fronts

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2009 Jan;79(1 Pt 2):016216. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.79.016216. Epub 2009 Jan 23.

Abstract

The effect of convection on horizontally propagating fronts arising in the acid-catalyzed reaction of chlorite and tetrathionate ions is investigated experimentally in vertically oriented narrow reaction vessels of various heights. A stable finger develops which can be characterized by its mixing length defined as the standard deviation of the average front profile. The mixing length scales with the height of the reaction vessel, and the scaling law has been determined for three different chemical compositions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't