Interaction of the thermovibrational and thermocapillary convection mechanisms

Thermal convection in microgravity induced by the combined action of thermocapillary forces and vibrations is considered. In the high-frequency approximation the thermovibrational forces are written for the case in which isothermal mixing of the fluid is unimportant. The authors' own work and new results of investigating the effect of vibration on thermocapillary instability, of numerically modeling the heat and mass transfer in open cavities and of experiments on the vibrational suppression of surface deformation are reviewed. The prospects for the practical application of the results obtained are discussed.