Onset of Convection in a Nanofluid Saturated Porous Layer with Temperature Dependent Viscosity

摘要

The effect of nanofluid viscosity varying exponentially with temperature on the onset of convection in a layer of nanofluid saturated Darcy porous medium is investigated. The nanoparticle flux is zero condition on the boundaries is invoked to account for physically realistic situation. The resulting eigenvalue problem is solved numerically using the Galerkin method. It is observed that the instability sets in only as stationary convection and the occurrence of oscillatory convection is ruled out. The effect of viscosity parameter on the characteristics of stability is found to be significant and dual in nature. The onset of convection is hastened and the size of convection cells is enlarged with an increase in the value of modified diffusivity ratio, concentration Darcy-Rayleigh number, the modified particle density increment parameter and the Lewis number.