Convection due to the selective absorption of radiation in a porous medium

A model for convection due to the selective absorption of radiation in a fluid saturated porous medium is investigated. The model is based on a similar one introduced for a viscous fluid by Krishnamurti [x]. Employing this adapted model we show the growth rate for the linearised system is real. A linear instability analysis is performed. Global stability thresholds are also found using nonlinear energy theory. An excellent agreement is found between the linear instability and nonlinear stability Rayleigh numbers, so that the region of potential subcritical instabilities is very small, demonstrating that the linear theory accurately emulates the physics of the onset of convectionReceived: 10 February 2003, Accepted: 11 March 2003, Published online: 12 September 2003     

Global stability for convection when the viscosity has a maximum

Until now, an unconditional nonlinear energy stability analysis for thermal convection according to Navier-Stokes theory had not been developed for the case in which the viscosity depends on the temperature in a quadratic manner such that the viscosity has a maximum. We analyse here a model of non-Newtonian fluid behaviour that allows us to develop an unconditional analysis directly when the quadratic viscosity relation is allowed. By unconditional, we mean that the nonlinear stability so obtained holds for arbitrarily large perturbations of the initial data. The nonlinear stability boundaries derived herein are sharp when compared with the linear instability thresholds.Received: 9 April 2003, Accepted: 28 April 2003, Published online: 12 December 2003PACS: 03.50.De, 04.20.-q, 42.65.-kCorrespondence to B. Straughan     

Linear and nonlinear double diffusive convection in a rotating sparsely packed porous layer using a thermal non-equilibrium model

Double diffusive convection in a fluid-saturated rotating porous layer is studied when the fluid and solid phases are not in local thermal equilibrium, using both linear and nonlinear stability analyses. The Brinkman model that includes the Coriolis term is employed as the momentum equation. A two-field model that represents the fluid and solid phase temperature fields separately is used for the energy equation. The onset criterion for stationary, oscillatory, and finite amplitude convection is derived analytically. It is found that small inter-phase heat transfer coefficient has significant effect on the stability of the system. There is a competition between the processes of thermal diffusion, solute diffusion, and rotation that causes the convection to set in through either oscillatory or finite amplitude mode rather than stationary. The effect of solute Rayleigh number, porosity modified conductivity ratio, Lewis number, diffusivity ratio, Vadasz number, and Taylor number on the stability of the system is investigated. The nonlinear theory based on the truncated representation of Fourier series method predicts the occurrence of subcritical instability in the form of finite amplitude motions. The effect of thermal non-equilibrium on heat and mass transfer is also brought out. Some of the convection systems previously reported in the literature is shown to be special cases of the system presented in this study.     

Stability analysis of soret-driven double-diffusive convection of Maxwell fluid in a porous medium

Stability analysis of double-diffusive convection for viscoelastic fluid with Soret effect in a porous medium is investigated using a modified-Maxwell-Darcy model. We use the linear stability analysis to investigate how the Soret parameter and the relaxation time of viscoelastic fluid effect the onset of convection and the selection of an unstable wavenumber. It is found that the Soret effect is to destabilize the system for oscillatory convection. The relaxation time also enhances the instability of the system. The effects of Soret coefficient and relaxation time on the heat transfer rate in a porous medium are studied using the nonlinear stability analysis, the variation of the Nusselt number with respect to the Rayleigh number is derived for stationary and oscillatory convection modes. Some previous results can be reduced as the special cases of the present paper.     

Stability of double-diffusive convection induced by selective absorption of radiation in a fluid layer

Linear and nonlinear stability analyses were performed on a fluid layer with a concentration-based internal heat source. Clear bimodal behaviour in the neutral curve (with stationary and oscillatory modes) is observed in the region of the onset of oscillatory convection, which is a previously unobserved phenomenon in radiation-induced convection. The numerical results for the linear instability analysis suggest a critical value γ _c of γ, a measure for the strength of the internal heat source, for which oscillatory convection is inhibited when γ > γ _c . Linear instability analyses on the effect of varying the ratio of the salt concentrations at the upper and lower boundaries conclude that the ratio has a significant effect on the stability boundary. A nonlinear analysis using an energy approach confirms that the linear theory describes the stability boundary most accurately when γ is such that the linear theory predicts the onset of mostly stationary convection. Nevertheless, the agreement between the linear and nonlinear stability thresholds deteriorates for larger values of the solute Rayleigh number for any value of γ.     

Equilibrium characteristics of the secondary convection in a vertical fluid layer between two flat plates 1

The nonlinear stability of the natural convection in a vertical fluid layer between two flat plates with different temperatures is investigated by a direct method to find the equilibrium states of the secondary convection. We confine ourselves to two-dimensional flows and assume that the aspect ratio of the fluid layer is very large. Since the Prantl number is assumed to be very small, the buoyancy effect caused by temperature disturbances is negligible. As a result we obtained a neutral surface of the energy of the fundamental mode of the secondary convection. It is concluded that there is no finite amplitude instability below the critical Grashof number derived from linear stability theory, and that both the unstable equilibrium solution (threshold amplitude solution) and the stable equilibrium solution (finite amplitude solution) are found outside the neutral curve of the linear stability. Our results are almost consistent with those of Nagata and Busse (1983), but are more accurate and more thorough.     

Convection induced by the selective absorption of radiation for the Brinkman model

Convection induced by the selective absorption of radiation in a porous medium is studied analytically and numerically using the Brinkman model. Both linear instability analysis and nonlinear stability analysis are employed. The thresholds show excellent agreement so that the region of potential subcritical instabilities is very small, demonstrating that linear theory is accurate enough to predict the onset of convective motion. A surprising result shows that the critical Rayleigh number increases linearly as (Darcy number x Brinkman coefficient / dynamic viscosity of the fluid) increases.Received: 6 May 2003, Accepted: 26 May 2003     

Three dimensional simulations of penetrative convection in a porous medium with internal heat sources

The problem of penetrative convection in a fluid saturated porous medium heated internally is analysed. The linear instability theory and nonlinear energy theory are derived and then tested using three dimensions simulation.Critical Rayleigh numbers are obtained numerically for the case of a uniform heat source in a layer with two fixed surfaces. The validity of both the linear instability and global nonlinear energy stability thresholds are tested using a three dimensional simulation. Our results show that the linear threshold accurately predicts the onset of instability in the basic steady state. However, the required time to arrive at the basic steady state increases significantly as the Rayleigh number tends to the linear threshold.     

Conditional and unconditional nonlinear stability for convection induced by absorption of radiation in a porous medium

Convection induced by the selective absorption of radiation is investigated, for the case of an internal heat source that is modelled quadratically with respect to concentration. The growth rate for the linearised system is shown to be real, and a linear instability analysis is performed. To establish conditional and unconditional nonlinear stability results, both the Darcy and Forchheimer models are employed to describe fluid flow. Due to the presence of significant regions of potential subcritical instabilities, the results indicate that linear theory may only be accurate enough to predict the onset of convective motion when the model for the internal heat source is predominantly linear.Received: 6 May 2003, Accepted: 9 August 2003, Published online: 12 December 2003     

Stability of triple diffusive convection in a viscoelastic fluid-saturated porous layer

The triple diffusive convection in an Oldroyd-B fluid-saturated porous layer is investigated by performing linear and weakly nonlinear stability analyses. The condition for the onset of stationary and oscillatory is derived analytically. Contrary to the observed phenomenon in Newtonian fluids, the presence of viscoelasticity of the fluid is to degenerate the quasiperiodic bifurcation from the steady quiescent state. Under certain conditions, it is found that disconnected closed convex oscillatory neutral curves occur, indicating the requirement of three critical values of the thermal Darcy-Rayleigh number to identify the linear instability criteria instead of the usual single value, which is a novel result enunciated from the present study for an Oldroyd-B fluid saturating a porous medium. The similarities and differences of linear instability characteristics of Oldroyd-B, Maxwell, and Newtonian fluids are also highlighted. The stability of oscillatory finite amplitude convection is discussed by deriving a cubic Landau equation, and the convective heat and mass transfer are analyzed for different values of physical parameters.     

Cross Diffusion Convection in a Newtonian Fluid-Saturated Rotating Porous Medium

Effect of rotation on linear and nonlinear instability of cross-diffusive convection in an anisotropic porous medium saturated with Newtonian fluid has been investigated. Normal mode technique has been used for linear stability analysis, however nonlinear analysis is done using spectral method, involving only two terms. The Darcy model with Coriolis terms, has been employed in the momentum equation. Nonlinear analysis is used to find the thermal and concentration Nusselt numbers. The effects of various parameters, including Soret and Dufour parameters, on stationary and oscillatory convection, have been obtained, and shown graphically.     

Linear and non-linear double diffusive convection in a rotating porous layer using a thermal non-equilibrium model

Double diffusive convection in a fluid-saturated rotating porous layer heated from below and cooled from above is studied when the fluid and solid phases are not in local thermal equilibrium, using both linear and non-linear stability analyses. The Darcy model that includes the time derivative and Coriolis terms is employed as momentum equation. A two-field model that represents the fluid and solid phase temperature fields separately is used for energy equation. The onset criterion for stationary, oscillatory and finite amplitude convection is derived analytically. It is found that small inter-phase heat transfer coefficient has significant effect on the stability of the system. There is a competition between the processes of thermal and solute diffusions that causes the convection to set in through either oscillatory or finite amplitude mode rather than stationary. The effect of solute Rayleigh number, porosity modified conductivity ratio, Lewis number, diffusivity ratio, Vadasz number and Taylor number on the stability of the system is investigated. The non-linear theory based on the truncated representation of Fourier series method predicts the occurrence of subcritical instability in the form of finite amplitude motions. The effect of thermal non-equilibrium on heat and mass transfer is also brought out.     

Linear and weakly nonlinear variable viscosity convection in spherical shells

A theoretical study of linear and weakly nonlinear thermal convection in a spherical shell is performed. The Boussinesq fluid is of infinite Prandtl number and its viscosity is temperature dependent. The linear stability eigenvalue problem is derived and solved by a shooting method assuming isothermal, stress-free boundaries, a self-gravitating fluid, and corresponding to two heating models. The first is heating from below, and the second is a model of combined heating from below and within, such that convection is described by a self-adjoint linear stability formulation. In addition, nonlinear, hemispherical, axisymmetric convection is computed by a finite volume technique for a shell with 0.5 aspect ratio. It is shown that 2-cell convection occurs as transcritical bifurcation for a viscosity constrast across the shell up to about 150. Motions with four cells are also possible. As expected, the subcritical range is found to increase with increasing viscosity contrast, even when the linear operator is self-adjoint.This research was supported by the AT&T Foundation.     

The convective instability of Maxwell fluid-saturated porous layer using a thermal non-equilibrium model

A linear stability analysis is carried out to study viscoelastic fluid convection in a horizontal porous layer heated from below and cooled from above when the solid and fluid phases are not in a local thermal equilibrium. The modified Darcy–Brinkman–Maxwell model is used for the momentum equation and two-field model is used for the energy equation each representing the solid and fluid phases separately. The conditions for the onset of stationary and oscillatory convection are obtained analytically. Linear stability analysis suggests that, there is a competition between the processes of viscoelasticity and thermal diffusion that causes the first convective instability to be oscillatory rather than stationary. Elasticity is found to destabilize the system. Besides, the effects of Darcy number, thermal non-equilibrium and the Darcy–Prandtl number on the stability of the system are analyzed in detail.     

Nonlinear Stability of Convection in a Porous Layer with Solid Partitions

We show that for many classes of convection problem involving a porous layer, or layers, interleaved with finite but non-deformable solid layers, the global nonlinear stability threshold is exactly the same as the linear instability one. The layer(s) of porous material may be of Darcy type, Brinkman type, possess an anisotropic permeability, or even be such that they are of local thermal non-equilibrium type where the fluid and solid matrix constituting the porous material may have different temperatures. The key to the global stability result lies in proving the linear operator attached to the convection problem is a symmetric operator while the nonlinear terms must satisfy appropriate conditions.     

Experimental and theoretical observations of elastic instabilities in eccentric cylinder flows: local versus global instability

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the stability of the viscoelastic flow of a Boger fluid between eccentric cylinders is presented. In our theoretical study, a local linear stability analysis for the flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid suggests that the flow is elastically unstable for all eccentricities. A global solution to the stability problem is obtained by a perturbation eigenvalue analysis, incorporating the azimuthal variation of the base state flow at the same order as the streamwise variation of the stability function. A comparison between the local and global stability predictions is made. Flow visualization experiments with a solution of high molecular weight polyisobutylene dissolved in a viscous solvent clearly show the transition from a purely azimuthal flow to a secondary toroidal flow. Comparison of these experimental results with the local linear stability theory shows good agreement between the measured and predicted critical conditions for the onset of the non-inertial cellular instability at small δ, where δ is the eccentricity made dimensionless with the average gap thickness. At higher eccentricities, experiment and local linear stability theory cease to agree. Evidence will be given that this disagreement is due to a global affect, i.e. the convection of stress not included the local theory. Specifically, it is suggested that convection of polymeric stresses in the base flow as well as in the disturbance flow can stabilize the instabilities found in this geometry. Finally, the discovery of a new localized purely elastic instability associated with the recirculation flow in the co-rotating eccentric cylinder geometry is presented.     

Convective Transport in a Nanofluid Saturated Porous Layer With Thermal Non Equilibrium Model

The effect of local thermal non-equilibrium on linear and non-linear thermal instability in a horizontal porous medium saturated by a nanofluid has been investigated analytically. The Brinkman Model has been used for porous medium, while nanofluid incorporates the effect of Brownian motion along with thermophoresis. A three-temperature model has been used for the effect of local thermal non-equilibrium among the particle, fluid, and solid-matrix phases. The linear stability is based on normal mode technique, while for nonlinear analysis, a minimal representation of the truncated Fourier series analysis involving only two terms has been used. The critical conditions for the onset of convection and the heat and mass transfer across the porous layer have been obtained numerically.     

Three-Dimensional Simulations for Convection in a Porous Medium with Internal Heat Source and Variable Gravity Effects

The problem of convection in a fluid-saturated porous layer which is heated internally and where the gravitational field varies with distance through the layer is studied. The accuracy of both the linear instability and global nonlinear energy stability thresholds is tested using a three-dimensional simulation. Our results support the assertion that the linear theory is very accurate in predicting the onset of convective motion, and thus, regions of stability.     

Convective instability in a two-layer system of reacting fluids with concentration-dependent diffusion

The development of convective instability in a two-layer system of miscible fluids placed in a narrow vertical gap has been studied theoretically and experimentally. The upper and lower layers are formed with aqueous solutions of acid and base, respectively. When the layers are brought into contact, the frontal neutralization reaction begins. We have found experimentally a new type of convective instability, which is characterized by the spatial localization and the periodicity of the structure observed for the first time in the miscible systems. We have tested a number of different acid–base systems and have found a similar patterning there. In our opinion, it may indicate that the discovered effect is of a general nature and should be taken into account in reaction–diffusion–convection problems as another tool with which the reaction can govern the movement of the reacting fluids. We have shown that, at least in one case (aqueous solutions of nitric acid and sodium hydroxide), a new type of instability called as the concentration-dependent diffusion convection is responsible for the onset of the fluid flow. It arises when the diffusion coefficients of species are different and depend on their concentrations. This type of instability can be attributed to a variety of double-diffusion convection. A mathematical model of the new phenomenon has been developed using the system of reaction–diffusion–convection equations written in the Hele–Shaw approximation. It is shown that the instability can be reproduced in the numerical experiment if only one takes into account the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficients of the reagents. The dynamics of the base state, its linear stability and nonlinear development of the instability are presented. It is also shown that by varying the concentration of acid in the upper layer one can achieve the occurrence of chemo-convective solitary cell in the bulk of an almost immobile fluid. Good agreement between the experimental data and the results of numerical simulations is observed.     

A model for convection in the evolution of under-ice melt ponds

A model for convection in the evolution of under-ice melt ponds is presented. The system exhibits two competing effects namely, a temperature gradient which is destabilising and a salt gradient which is stabilising. Density is assumed to have a dependence quadratic in temperature and linear in concentration. A linear instability analysis and a nonlinear stability analysis are performed. The standard energy method does not yield unconditional stability so a weighted energy analysis is employed to achieve global results. The global stability bound is found to be independent of the salt field and a presentation of the region of possible subcritical instabilities is given. Received May 16, 2002 / Published online September 4, 2002 RID="a" ID="a" e-mail: Magdalen.Carr@durham.ac.uk Communicated by Brian Straughan, Durham