Created in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.

M a r a ngoni Effect

This model is licensed under the COMSOL Software License Agreement 6.2.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. See www.comsol.com/trademarks.
 Creado en COMSOL Multiphysics 6.2

Efec t o
M a r a ngoni

Este modelo está autorizado según el Acuerdo de licencia de software de COMSOL 6.2. Todas las marcas
comerciales son propiedad de sus respectivos dueños. Consulte www.comsol.com/trademarks.
Introduction
Marangoni convection occurs when the surface tension of an interface (generally liquid-
air) depends on the concentration of a species or on the temperature distribution. In the
case of temperature dependence, the Marangoni effect is also called thermo-capillary
convection. It is of primary importance in the fields of:
• Welding

• Crystal growth
•Electron beam melting of metals
Direct experimental studies are not easy to do in these systems because the materials are
often metals and temperatures are very high. One possibility is to replace the real system
with an experimental setup using a transparent liquid at ambient temperatures.

Model Definition
This tutorial describes the 2D stationary behavior of a vessel filled with silicone oil, for
which the thermo-physical properties are known. The aim of the study is to compute the
temperature field that induces a flow through the Marangoni effect. The model shows this
effect using the simple geometry in the figure below.

Free surface

T T Silicone oil T 0

Insulation

GOVERNING EQUATIONS
A stationary momentum balance equation describes the velocity field and the pressure
distribution (Navier–Stokes equations, see the section Incompressible Flow in the
COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual). To include the heating of the fluid, the fluid
flow is coupled to an energy balance.
You can use the Boussinesq approximation to include the effect of temperature on the
velocity field. In this approximation, variations in temperature produce a buoyancy force

2 | MARANGONI EFFECT
Introducción
La convección de Marangoni se produce cuando la tensión superficial de una interfase
(generalmente líquido-aire) depende de la concentración de una especie o de la distribución
de la temperatura. En el caso de dependencia de la temperatura, el efecto Marangoni también
se denomina convección termocapilar. Es de importancia primordial en los campos de:
• Soldadura

• Crecimiento de cristales

• Fusión de metales mediante haz de electrones

Los estudios experimentales directos no son fáciles de realizar en estos sistemas porque los materiales
suelen ser metales y las temperaturas son muy altas. Una posibilidad es reemplazar el sistema real por
un montaje experimental que utilice un líquido transparente a temperatura ambiente.

Definición del modelo

Este tutorial describe el comportamiento estacionario en 2D de un recipiente lleno de aceite
de silicona, del que se conocen las propiedades termofísicas. El objetivo del estudio es
calcular el campo de temperatura que induce un flujo a través del efecto Marangoni. El
modelo muestra este efecto utilizando la geometría simple de la figura siguiente.

Superficie libre

y T Aceite de y 0
o silicona o

Aislamiento

ECUACIONES QUE RIGEN

Una ecuación de equilibrio de momento estacionario describe el campo de velocidad y la
distribución de presión (ecuaciones de Navier-Stokes, consulte la sección Flujo incompresible
en el Manual de referencia de COMSOL Multiphysics). Para incluir el calentamiento del fluido, el
flujo de fluido se acopla a un balance de energía.
Puede utilizar la aproximación de Boussinesq para incluir el efecto de la temperatura en el

campo de velocidad. En esta aproximación, las variaciones de temperatura producen una fuerza

de flotabilidad.

2 | EFECTO MARANGONI
(or Archimedes’ force) that lifts the fluid as described in the sections Gravity and The
Boussinesq Approximation in the CFD Module User’s Guide.
The following equation describes the forces that the Marangoni effect induces on the
interface (liquid/air):

---u-- 
 ---T---
= (1)
y x

Here  is the temperature derivative of the surface tension (N/(m·K)). Equation1 states
that the shear stress on a surface is proportional to the temperature gradient (Ref.1).

Notes About the COMSOL Implementation

To solve the momentum and energy balance equations, use the predefined Nonisothermal
Flow multiphysics coupling. It automatically couples a Laminar Flow interface for the fluid
flow to a Heat Transfer in Fluids interface for the heat transfer by convection and conduction
in each direction:
•The Boussinesq approximation means that an expression including temperature acts as
a force in the ydirection in the momentum balance.
•The convective heat transfer depends on the velocities from the momentum balance.

This means that you must solve the coupled system directly using the nonlinear solver.

To impose the condition that the shear stress is proportional to the temperature gradient
on the surface, use the Marangoni Effect multiphysics feature in the Multiphysics node.

3 | MARANGONI EFFECT
(o fuerza de Arquímedes) que levanta el fluido como se describe en las secciones Gravedad y
Aproximación de Boussinesq en la Guía del usuario del módulo CFD.

La siguiente ecuación describe las fuerzas que el efecto Marangoni induce en la interfaz (líquido/aire):

--- ---
en
-- = Y--- (1)
y 
in
có
gn
ita

Aquí  es la derivada de la temperatura de la tensión superficial (N/(m·K)). La ecuación 1 establece

que la tensión cortante en una superficie es proporcional al gradiente de temperatura (Ref.1).

Notas sobre la implementación de COMSOL

Para resolver las ecuaciones de balance de momento y energía, utilice el acoplamiento multifísico
predefinido de flujo no isotérmico. Este acopla automáticamente una interfaz de flujo laminar para el
flujo de fluidos con una interfaz de transferencia de calor en fluidos para la transferencia de calor por
convección y conducción en cada dirección:
•La aproximación de Boussinesq significa que una expresión que incluye la temperatura actúa como

una fuerza en la dirección y en el equilibrio del momento.

•La transferencia de calor por convección depende de las velocidades del equilibrio del

momento.

Esto significa que debes resolver el sistema acoplado directamente utilizando el

solucionador no lineal.

Para imponer la condición de que la tensión cortante sea proporcional al gradiente de

temperatura en la superficie, utilice la función multifísica Efecto Marangoni en el nodo

Multifísica.

3 | EFECTO MARANGONI
Results
The Marangoni effect becomes more pronounced as the temperature difference increases:

Figure 1: Marangoni convection with a temperature difference of 0.001K.

For the very low temperature difference of 0.001K, the temperature field is almost
decoupled from the velocity field. Therefore, the temperature decreases almost linearly
from left to right.

4 | MARANGONI EFFECT
Resultados
El efecto Marangoni se hace más pronunciado a medida que aumenta la diferencia de temperatura:

Figura 1: Convección de Marangoni con una diferencia de temperatura de 0,001 K.

Para una diferencia de temperatura muy baja de 0,001 K, el campo de temperatura está
casi desacoplado del campo de velocidad. Por lo tanto, la temperatura disminuye casi
linealmente de izquierda a derecha.

4 | EFECTO MARANGONI
Figure 2: Marangoni convection with a temperature difference of 0.05K.
For the temperature difference of 0.05K notice how the Marangoni convection influences
the flow of fluid and the distribution of temperature. The temperature is no longer
decreasing linearly and you can clearly see the advection of the isotherms caused by the
flow.

5 | MARANGONI EFFECT
Figure 3: Marangoni convection with a temperature difference of 2K.
At higher temperature differences (2K in Figure3 above), the physical coupling between
the temperature and the velocity field is clearly visible. The heat conduction is small
compared to the convection, and at the surface the fluid accelerates where the temperature
gradient is high.

Reference
1. V.G. Levich, Physicochemical Hydrodynamics, Prentice-Hall, N.J., 1962.

Application Library path: Heat_Transfer_Module/Tutorials,

_Forced_and_Natural_Convection/marangoni_effect

Modeling Instructions
From the File menu, choose New.

6 | MARANGONI EFFECT
NEW
In the New window, click Model Wizard.

MODEL WIZARD
1 In theModelWizard window, click 2D.
2 In the SelectPhysics tree, select Fluid Flow>Nonisothermal Flow>LaminarFlow.
3 Click Add.
4 Click Study.
5 In theSelectStudy tree, select General Studies>Stationary.
6 Click Done.

GEOMETRY 1

Rectangle 1 (r1)
1 In the Geometry
In toolbar, click Rectangle.
Settings window for Rectangle, locate the SizeandShape section.
2 the In the
3 In the Width
In text field, type 10[mm].
Height text field, type 5[mm].
4 the Click
5 the Geometry toolbar, click BuildAll.
6 ZoomExtents button in the Graphics toolbar.

GLOBAL DEFINITIONS

Parameters 1
1 In the ModelBuilder window, under GlobalDefinitions click Parameters1.
2 In the Settings window for Parameters, locate the Parameters section.
3 Click LoadfromFile.
4 Browse to the model’s Application Libraries folder and double-click the file
marangoni_effect_parameters.txt.

DEFINITIONS

Variables 1
1 In theHome toolbar, click Variables and choose Local Variables.
2 In the Settings window for Variables, locate the Variables section.

7 | MARANGONI EFFECT
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Name Expression Unit Description

deltaT T-T_right K Excess temperature in model domain

This variable is useful when visualizing the model results.

MATERIALS

Silicone Oil
1 In theMaterials toolbar, click BlankMaterial .
2 In the Settings window for Material , type Silicone Oil in the Label text field.
3 Locate the MaterialContents section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Property Variable Value Unit Property

group
Dynamic viscosity mu m Pa·s Basic Basic
Heat capacity at constant Cp u1 J/(kg·K)
pressure Cp
Thermal conductivity k_iso ; kii = k1
1 W/(m·K) Basic
k_iso, kij = 0

LAMINAR FLOW (SPF)

1 In theModelBuilder window, under Component1(comp1) click LaminarFlow(spf).
2 In the Settings window for LaminarFlow, locate the PhysicalModel section.
3 Select the Includegravity check box.
4 From the Compressibility list, choose Incompressibleflow.

Wall 2
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and chooseWall.
2 Select Boundary 3 only.
3 In the Settings window for Wall, locate the BoundaryCondition section.
4 From the Wallcondition list, choose Slip.

Pressure Point Constraint 1

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Points and choose PressurePoint Constraint.
2 Select Point 1 only.

8 | MARANGONI EFFECT
HEAT TRANSFER IN FLUIDS (HT)
1In the ModelBuilder window, under Component1(comp1) click
Heat Transfer in Fluids (ht).
2In the Settings window for HeatTransferinFluids, locate the PhysicalModel section.
3In the Tref text field, type T_ref.
Here, T_ref is the reference temperature at which the material properties are evaluated.
It is defined in Parameters under Global Definitions.

Initial Values 1
1 In the ModelBuilder window, under Component1(comp1)>HeatTransferinFluids(ht)
click InitialValues1 .
2 In the Settings window for InitialValues , locate the InitialValues section.
3 In the T text field, type T_right.

Temperature 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Temperature.
2 Select Boundary 4 only.
3 In the Settings window for Temperature , locate the Temperature section.
4 In the T0 text field, type T_right.

Temperature 2
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Temperature.
2 Select Boundary 1 only.
3 In the Settings window for Temperature , locate the Temperature section.
4 In the T0 text field, type T_right+DeltaT .

MULTIPHYSICS

Nonisothermal Flow 1 (nitf1)

1 In the ModelBuilder window, under Component1(comp1)>Multiphysics click
NonisothermalFlow1(nitf1) .
2 In the Settings window for NonisothermalFlow , locate the MaterialProperties section.
3 Select the Boussinesqapproximation check box.
4 From the Specify density list, choose Custom, linearizeddensity.
5 In the ref text field, type rho1.
6 In the p,0 text field, type alphap1.

9 | MARANGONI EFFECT
Marangoni Effect 1 (mar1)
1 In the Physics toolbar, click MultiphysicsCouplings and choose Boundary>
Marangoni Effect.
2 Select Boundary 3 only.
3 In the Settings window for MarangoniEffect , locate the SurfaceTension section.
4 In the  text field, type gamma*T.

MESH 1

Free Triangular 1
In the Mesh toolbar, click FreeTriangular.

Size 1
1 Right-click FreeTriangular1 and choose Size.
2 In the Settings window for Size, locate the GeometricEntitySelection section.
3 From the Geometricentitylevel list, choose Boundary.
4 Select Boundary 3 only.
5 Locate the ElementSize section. Click the Custom button.
6 Locate the ElementSizeParameters section.
7 Select the Maximumelementsize check box. In the associated text field, type 1e-4.

Size 2
1 In the ModelBuilder window, right-click FreeTriangular1 and choose Size.
2 In the Settings window for Size, locate the GeometricEntitySelection section.
3 From the Geometricentitylevel list, choose Point.
4 Select Points 2 and 4 only.
5 Locate the ElementSize section. Click the Custom button.
6 Locate the ElementSizeParameters section.
7 Select the Maximumelementsize check box. In the associated text field, type 2e-5.

Size
1 In theModelBuilder window, under Component1(comp1)>Mesh1 click Size.
2 In the Settings window for Size, locate theElementSize section.
3 From the Predefined list, choose Extrafine .
4 Click the Custom button.

10 | MARANGONI EFFECT
5 Locate the ElementSizeParameters section. In the Maximumelementgrowthrate text
field, type 1.1.
6 Click Build All.

STUDY 1

Step 1: Stationary
1 In the ModelBuilder window, under Study1 click Step 1:Stationary.
2 In the Settings window for Stationary, click to expand the StudyExtensions section.
3 Select the Auxiliarysweep check box.
4 Click Add.
5 In the table, enter the following settings:

Parameter name Parameter value list Parameter unit

DeltaT (Excess temperature on 1e-3 5e-2 2 K
the left boundary)

6 In the Home toolbar, click Compute.

RESULTS
To show the temperature field as a surface plot along with overlaid temperature contours
and the velocity field using arrows, follow the steps given below.

ADD PREDEFINED PLOT

1 In the Home toolbar, click Windows and choose AddPredefinedPlot.
2 Go to the AddPredefinedPlot window.
3 In the tree, select Study1/Solution1(sol1)>HeatTransferinFluids>
IsothermalContours(ht) .
4 Click AddPlot in the window toolbar.

RESULTS

Isothermal Contours (ht)

1 In the Settings window for 2DPlotGroup , locate the Data section.
2 From the Parametervalue(DeltaT(K)) list, choose 0.001.

Contour 1
1 In the ModelBuilder window, expand the IsothermalContours(ht) node, then click
Contour 1.

11 | MARANGONI EFFECT
2 In the Settings window for Contour, click ReplaceExpressionin the upper-right corner of
the Expression section. From the menu, choose Component1(comp1)>Definitions>
Variables>deltaT-Excesstemperatureinmodeldomain-K .
3 Locate the ColoringandStyle section. From the Coloring list, choose Uniform .
4 From the Color list, choose Black.
5 Clear the Colorlegend check box.

Isothermal Contours (ht)

In the ModelBuilder window, click Isothermal Contours (ht).

Arrow Surface 1
1 In the Isothermal Contours (ht) toolbar, click Arrow Surface.
2 In the Settings window for ArrowSurface, locate the ColoringandStyle section.
3 From the Color list, choose Black.

Isothermal Contours (ht)

In the ModelBuilder window, click Isothermal Contours (ht).

Surface 1
1 In the Isothermal Contours (ht) toolbar, click Surface.
2 In the Settings window for Surface, click ReplaceExpressionin the upper-right corner of
the Expression section. From the menu, choose Component1(comp1)>Definitions>
Variables>deltaT-Excesstemperatureinmodeldomain-K .
3 Locate the ColoringandStyle section. Click ChangeColorTable .
4 In the ColorTable dialog box, select Thermal>HeatCameraLight in the tree.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Isothermal Contours (ht) toolbar, click Plot.
7 Click the ZoomExtents button in the Graphics toolbar.

Isothermal Contours (ht)

The Marangoni effect becomes more pronounced as the temperature difference increases.
Visualize this by changing the Parameter value selection.
1In the ModelBuilder window, click IsothermalContours(ht).
2In the Settings window for 2DPlotGroup, locate the Data section.
3From the Parametervalue(DeltaT(K)) list, choose 0.05.
4In the Isothermal Contours (ht) toolbar, click Plot.
5Click the ZoomExtents button in the Graphics toolbar.

12 | MARANGONI EFFECT
6From the Parametervalue(DeltaT(K)) list, choose 2.
7In the Isothermal Contours (ht) toolbar, click Plot.

Follow these steps to visualize the importance of the Marangoni effect on the convection
cell.
Convection Cell

1 In the Home toolbar, click AddPlotGroup and choose 2D Plot Group.

2 In the Settings window for 2DPlotGroup , type Convection Cell in the Label text field.
3 Click to collapse the Data section.

Surface 1
1 In theConvection Cell toolbar, click Surface.
2 In theSettings window for Surface, locate the Expression section.
3 In the Expression text field, type T.
4 Locate the ColoringandStyle section. Click ChangeColorTable .
5 In the ColorTable dialog box, select Thermal>HeatCameraLight in the tree.
6 Click OK.

Convection Cell
In the Convection Cell toolbar, click Streamline.

Streamline 1
1 In the Settings window for Streamline, locate the Expression section.
2 Select the Description check box. In the associated text field, typeVelocity field (m/
s).
3 Locate the StreamlinePositioning section. From the Positioning list, choose
Magnitudecontrolled .
4 Locate the ColoringandStyle section. Find the Pointstyle subsection. From the Type list,
choose Arrow .
5 Click to expand the Advanced section. In the Maximumnumberofintegrationsteps text
field, type 20000.

Color Expression 1
Right-click Streamline1 and choose Color Expression.

Convection Cell
1 In the Settings window for 2DPlotGroup , click to expand the Data section.
2 From the Parametervalue(DeltaT(K)) list, choose 0.001.

13 | MARANGONI EFFECT
3 In theConvection Cell toolbar, click Plot.
4 Click PlotNext .
5 Click PlotNext .

14 | MARANGONI EFFECT