Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2011
The problem of a stable stratified fluid heated by a point source of heat at various depths is treated in this paper. A hot plume is formed with a series of layer around and above it. Quantitative estimates for the criterion of onset of doubly diffusive instability are obtained in this work. The linear differential system governing stability is then solved. The results show that the stationary onset of this doubly diffusive problem caused by a point source may be led to a similar form of small-gap Taylor- Couette problem.