This investigation addresses the problem of hydrodynamic stability of a two-component droplet undergoing spherically-symmetrical gasification. The droplet components are assumed to have characteristic liquid species diffusion times that are large relative to characteristic droplet surface regression times. The problem is formulated as a linear stability analysis, with a focus of predicting when spherically-symmetric droplet gasification can be expected to be hydrodynamically unstable from surface-tension gradients acting along ihe surface of a droplet which result from perturbations in the flow variables. It is found that for the conditions assumed in this paper (quasisteady gas phase, no initial droplet temperature gradients, diffusion-dominated gasification, appreciable initial concentrations of both components in the droplet, negligible gravity), surface tension gradients do not influence stability characteristics. Conditions are identified, however, that deserve more analysis as they may lead to hydrodynamic instabilities driven by capillary effects.
Aharon, I., Shaw, B.D., Hydrodynamic Stability of Multicomponent Droplet Gasification in Reduced Gravity, 33rd Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, AIAA, Washington, DC, AIAA-95-0145, pp. 1-12, January 09, 1995.