Instability of the vertical annular flow with a radial heating and rotating inner cylinder

A linear stability analysis of the flow confined in a differentially rotating cylindrical annulus with a radial temperature gradient has been performed. Depending on values of control parameters (the Taylor number, the Grashof number, and the Froude number), it has shown flow destabilization to axisymmetric or non-axisymmetric modes. Analysis of different terms involved in the evolution rate of the perturbation kinetic energy has allowed us to isolate the dominant terms (centrifugal force or buoyancy force) in the destabilization process. We have shown that the centrifugal buoyancy can induce the asymmetry of the temperature gradient on critical states. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.