Global flow instability in a lid‐driven cavity

Abstract The stability of flow in a lid‐driven cavity is investigated using an accurate numerical technique based on a hybrid scheme with spectral collocation and high‐order finite differences. A global stability analysis is carried out and critical parameters are identified for various aspect ratios. It is found that while there is reasonable agreement with the literature for the critical parameters leading to loss of stability for the square cavity, there are significant discrepancies for cavities of aspect ratios 1.5 and 2. Simulations of the linearized unsteady equations confirm the results from the global stability analysis for aspect ratios A = 1, 1.5 and A = 2. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.