Nonlinear convective stability problems of viscoelastic fluids in finite domains

A Chebyshev pseudospectral method is generalized to solve the nonlinear hydrodynamic stability problems of Rayleigh-Bénard convection of viscoelastic fluids in finite domains, which are compatible with the experimental situations, for the range of viscoelastic parameters where the exchange of stabilities is valid. The effects of box aspect ratio, the Deborah number λ and the dimensionless retardation time ε on the critical Rayleigh number and convection intensity are investigated. The comparison of these results with the experimental data might be used to guide the selection of constitutive equations and to estimate viscoelastic parameter values. The present technique of hydrodynamic stability analysis is quite versatile and can be employed to solve other hydrodynamic stability problems in finite domains.