Bifurcation in a thin liquid film flowing over a locally heated surface

Abstract

We investigate the non-linear dynamics of a two-dimensional film flowing down a finite heater, for a non-volatile and a volatile liquid. An oscillatory instability is predicted beyond a critical value of Marangoni number using linear stability theory. Continuation along the Marangoni number using non-linear evolution equation is used to trace bifurcation diagram associated with the oscillatory instability. Hysteresis, a characteristic attribute of a sub-critical Hopf bifurcation, is observed in a critical parametric region. The bifurcation is universally observed for both, a non-volatile film and a volatile film.