Experimental flow visualization is conducted here to investigate the buoyancy-induced return flow structure in mixed convection of gas over a heated circular plate mounted on the bottom of a horizontal flat duct, simulating that in a horizontal longitudinal flow reactor. In particular, how the return flow induced in the upstream portion of the duct is related to the vortex flow in the downstream is delineated. The results show that at a low buoyancy-to-inertia ratio only steady longitudinal vortex rolls (L-rolls) are induced in the exit half of the duct and no return flow appears in the duct. At an intermediate buoyancy-to-inertia ratio a small flow recirculation exists around the duct inlet near the top wall and the L-rolls become unsteady. When the buoyancy-to-inertia ratio is high and the Reynolds number is small with Re<10, the upstream return flow is strong and occupies a large region. There is another return flow zone around the exit end of the duct. Over the heated circular plate the flow is dominated by the moving transverse rolls (T-rolls). Moreover, the return flow around the duct inlet at steady or statistically stable state is in the form of a semicircular roll around the upstream edge of the circular plate. Flow visualization also reveals that the splitting of the downstream tip of the return flow zone and the rising of the buoyancy-driven spanwisely extended thermal under the tip generate a pair of counter-rotating transverse rolls in the entry portion of the duct. In addition, the criterion for the onset of the return flow near the duct inlet, the size and the center position of the return flow, based on the present experimental data, are correlated empirically. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.