The effect of stable thermal stratification on the stability of viscous parallel flows

A unified linear viscous stability theory is developed for a certain class of stratified parallel channel and boundary-layer flows with Prandtl number equal to unity. Results are presented for plane Poiseuille flow and the asymptotic suction boundary-layer profile, which show that the asymptotic behaviour of both branches of the curve of neutral stability has a universal character. For velocity profiles without inflexion points it is found that a mode of instability disappears as η, the local Richardson number evaluated at the critical point, approaches 0.0554 from below. Calculations for Grohne's inflexion-point profile show both major and minor curves of neutral stability for 0 < η [les ] 0.0554; for\[ 0.0554 < \eta < 0.0773 \]there is only a single curve of neutral stability; and, for η > 0.0773, the curves of neutral stability become closed, with complete stabilization being achieved for a value of η of about 0·107.