Stability of the boundary layer on a sphere rotating in still fluid

SummaryA theoretical study of the transition of a three-dimensional boundary layer on a sphere rotating in still fluid is carried out by a linear stability analysis. A set of perturbation equations governing the instability of the flow field is derived assuming the perturbations to be consisting of spiral vortices. It is shown that the critical Reynolds numbers obtained in the present analytical study are close to those observed in experiments. It has been found that the streamline-curvature instability appears in the rotating sphere flow. It is also shown that the cross-flow instability is dominant near the poles of a sphere while the streamline-curvature instability overtakes near the equator.