Stability of convective patterns in reaction fronts: a comparison of three models

Autocatalytic reaction fronts generate density gradients that may lead to convection. Fronts propagating in vertical tubes can be flat, axisymmetric, or nonaxisymmetric, depending on the diameter of the tube. In this paper, we study the transitions to convection as well as the stability of different types of fronts. We analyze the stability of the convective reaction fronts using three different models for front propagation. We use a model based on a reaction-diffusion-advection equation coupled to the Navier-Stokes equations to account for fluid flow. A second model replaces the reaction-diffusion equation with a thin front approximation where the front speed depends on the front curvature. We also introduce a new low-dimensional model based on a finite mode truncation. This model allows a complete analysis of all stable and unstable fronts.