Experimental and theoretical studies of buoyant-thermo capillary flow

In the AVLIS process, uranium metal is evaporated using a high power electron gun. We have prior discussed the power balance equation in the electron beam evaporation process and pointed out, among the loss terms, the importance of the power loss due to the convective flow in the molten pool driven by buoyancy and thermo capillarity. An empirical formula has been derived from model experiments with cerium, to estimate the latter power loss and that formula can be used practically in engineering calculations. In order to complete the empirical approach, a more fundamental research program of theoretical and experimental studies have been carried out in Cea-France, with the objective of understanding the basic phenomena (heat transport, flow instabilities, turbulence, etc.) occurring in a convective flow in a liquid layer locally heated on its free surface