title: Onset of Marangoni convection for evaporating liquids with spherical interfaces and finite boundaries.
abstract: We examine the stability of liquids with spherical interfaces evaporating from funnels constructed of different materials. A linear stability analysis predicts stable evaporation for funnels constructed of insulating materials and introduces a stability parameter for funnels constructed of conducting materials. The stability parameter is free of fitting variables since we use the statistical rate theory expression for the evaporation flux. The theoretical predictions are found to be consistent with experimental observations for H(2)O evaporating from a funnel constructed of poly(methyl methacrylate) and for H(2)O and D(2)O evaporating from a funnel constructed of stainless steel.
authors.affiliation: Thermodynamics and Kinetics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 3G8.
authors.forename: Brendan D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ward