Investigation of the onset of thermo-bioconvection in a suspension of oxytactic microorganisms in a shallow fluid layer heated from below

This paper investigates the combined effect of density stratification due to oxytactic upswimming and heating from below on the stability of a suspension of motile oxytactic microorganisms in a shallow fluid layer. Different from traditional bioconvection, thermo-bioconvection has two destabilizing mechanisms that contribute to creating the unstable density stratification. This problem may be relevant to a number of geophysical applications, such as the investigation of the dynamics of some species of thermophiles (heat loving microorganisms) living in hot springs. By performing a linear stability analysis, we obtained a correlation between the critical value of the bioconvection Rayleigh number and the traditional, “thermal” Rayleigh number. It is established that heating from below makes the system more unstable and helps the development of bioconvection.     

Thermo-Bioconvection in a Square Porous Cavity Filled by Oxytactic Microorganisms

This paper studies the thermo-bioconvection in a square porous cavity filled by oxytactic microorganisms. The Darcy model with Boussinesq approximation has been used to solve the flow and heat and mass transfer in the porous region. The governing equations formulated in terms of the dimensionless stream function, temperature and concentration have been solved using the finite difference method. Comparison with results from the open literature of the mean Nusselt number for a square cavity filled with a regular porous medium is made. It is shown that the results are in very good agreement. The main objective was to investigate the influence of the traditional Rayleigh number Ra = 10, 100, bioconvection Rayleigh number Rb = 10, 100, Lewis number Le = 1, 10, and Péclet number Pe = 0.1, 1 on the fluid flow and heat and mass transfer. Comprehensive analysis of an effect of these key parameters on the Nusselt and Sherwood numbers at the vertical walls has been conducted.     

Linear Instability Analysis of a Suspension of Oxytactic Bacteria in Superimposed Fluid and Porous Layers

The purpose of this paper is to perform a pioneering investigation of the stability of bioconvection of oxytactic bacteria in superimposed fluid and porous layers. A dilute suspension of oxytactic bacteria in a shallow system that consists of superimposed fluid and porous layers is considered. A linear instability analysis of this problem is performed and the Galerkin method is utilized to solve the eigenvalue problem. The analysis leads to an equation for the critical Rayleigh number.*Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1-919-515-5292; Fax: +1-919-515-7968; e-mail: avkuznet@eos.ncsu.edu     

Overstability Analysis of Thermo-bioconvection Saturating a Porous Medium in a Suspension of Gyrotactic Microorganisms

A linear stability analysis is performed to analyze bioconvection in a dilute suspension of gyrotactic microorganisms in horizontal shallow fluid layer cooling from below and saturated by a porous medium, in the rigid boundary case. It is established that due to cooling from below thermally stratified layer is stabilized, which opposes the development of bioconvection and the situations for oscillatory convection may take place. The stability criterion is obtained in terms of thermal Rayleigh number, bioconvection Rayleigh number, gyrotactic number, bioconvection Peclet number, measure of cell eccentricity, Prandtl number, and Lewis number. It is observed that the presence of porous medium results in decrease of the magnitude of critical bioconvection Rayleigh number in comparison with its non-existence; hence due to porous effect, the system becomes less stable.     

The Onset of Bioconvection in a Horizontal Porous-Medium Layer

In this note the problem of the onset of bioconvection in a horizontal layer occupied by a saturated porous medium is analyzed. Gyrotactic effects are incorporated in the analysis. The Darcy flow model is employed, and it is assumed that the bioconvection Péclet number is not greater than unity. Critical values of the bioconvection Rayleigh number and the corresponding critical Rayleigh number are obtained for various values of the bioconvection Péclet number, the gyrotaxis number and the cell eccentricity.     

Instability Analysis of Gyrotactic Microorganisms: A Combined Effect of High-Frequency Vertical Vibration and Porous Media

A linear stability analysis is carried out to predict the instability analysis in a dilute suspension of gyrotactic microorganisms in horizontal fluid-saturated porous layer influenced by high-frequency vertical vibration. The governing equations, describing the mean flow, are the time-averaged Boussinesq equations and the analytical solution of the problem has been obtained using Galerkin method. A secular relation involving bioconvection Rayleigh number and its vibrational analogs and other parameters have been established. The graphical interpretations for dependence of bioconvection Rayleigh–Darcy number and corresponding wave number, on gyrotactic number and bioconvection Péclet number in the presence of vibration are utilized to understand the problem.     

Stability Analysis of Bioconvection of Gyrotactic Motile Microorganisms in a Fluid Saturated Porous Medium

Despite a large number of publications on bioconvection in suspensions of motile microorganisms, bioconvection in a fluid saturated porous medium is a relatively new area of research. This paper is motivated by experimental research by Kessler (1986) who established that a porous medium prevents the development of convection instability in algal suspensions. This suggests that there may exist a critical value of the permeability of a porous medium. If the permeability is smaller than critical, the system is stable and bioconvection does not develop. If the permeability is larger than critical, bioconvection may develop. This paper presents a model of bioconvection of gyrotactic motile microorganisms in a fluid saturated porous medium. The focus of this research is the determination of the critical value of permeability of a porous medium by a linear stability analysis. A simple but elegant analytical solution for the critical Darcy number is obtained.     

The Onset of Convection in a Suspension of Gyrotactic Microorganisms in Superimposed Fluid and Porous Layers: Effect of Vertical Throughflow

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of vertical throughflow on the onset of bioconvection in a suspension of gyrotactic microorganisms. A dilute suspension of gyrotactic microorganisms in a shallow system that consists of superimposed fluid and porous layers is considered. A linear instability analysis of this problem is performed and the Galerkin method is utilized to solve the eigenvalue problem. The analysis leads to an equation for the critical Rayleigh number. It is shown that the vertical throughflow stabilizes the system.     

A Nonlinear Stability Analysis of Convection in a Porous Vertical Channel Including Local Thermal Nonequilibrium

The problem is considered of thermal convection in a saturated porous medium contained in an infinite vertical channel with differentially heated sidewalls. The theory employed allows for different solid and fluid temperatures in the matrix. Nonlinear energy stability theory is used to derive a Rayleigh number threshold below which convection will not occur no matter how large the initial data. A generalized nonlinear analysis is also given which shows convection cannot occur for any Rayleigh number provided the initial data is suitably restricted.     

Combined free and forced convection in a porous medium between two vertical walls with viscous dissipation

Viscous dissipation effects in the problem of a fully-developed combined free and forced convection flow between two symmetrically and asymmetrically heated vertical parallel walls filled with a porous medium is analyzed. The equation of motion contains the modified Rayleigh number for a porous medium and the small-order viscous dissipation parameter. Particular attention is given to the solutions near the critical Rayleigh numbers at which infinite flow rates are predicted. Information concerning the multiplicity of solutions at critical Rayleigh numbers is also deduced from perturbation solutions of the governing equation.     

Study of Heat Transport in a Porous Medium Under G-jitter and Internal Heating Effects

In this article we study the combined effect of internal heating and time-periodic gravity modulation on thermal instability in a closely packed anisotropic porous medium, heated from below and cooled from above. The time-periodic gravity modulation, considered in this problem can be realized by vertically oscillating the porous medium. A weak non-linear stability analysis has been performed by using power series expansion in terms of the amplitude of gravity modulation, which is assumed to be small. The Nusselt number has been obtained in terms of the amplitude of convection which is governed by the non-autonomous Ginzburg?CLandau equation derived for the stationary mode of convection. The effects of various parameters such as; internal Rayleigh number, amplitude and frequency of gravity modulation, thermo-mechanical anisotropies, and Vadász number on heat transport has been analyzed. It is found that the response of the convective system to the internal Rayleigh number is destabilizing. Further it is found that the heat transport can also be controlled by suitably adjusting the external parameters of the system.     

Anomalous reactivity of thermo-bioconvective nanofluid towards oxytactic microorganisms

The peristaltic flow of a non-Newtonian nanofluid with swimming oxytactic microorganisms through a space between two infinite coaxial conduits is investigated. A variable magnetic field is applied on the flow. The bioconvection flow and heat transfer in the porous annulus are formulated, and appropriate transformations are used, leading to the non-dimensionalized ruling partial differential equation model. The model is then solved by using the homotopy perturbation scheme. The effects of the ger...     

Oscillating Convection of Nanofluid in Porous Medium

In this paper, oscillatory convection in a horizontal layer of nanofluid in porous medium is studied. For porous medium, Darcy model is applied. A linear stability theory and normal mode analysis method is used to find the solution confined between two free boundaries. The onset criterion for oscillatory convection is derived analytically and graphically. Regimes of oscillatory and non-oscillatory convection for various parameters are derived. The effects of Lewis number, concentration Rayleigh number, Prandtl?CDarcy number (Vadasz Number) and modified diffusivity ratio on the oscillatory convection are investigated graphically. We examine the validity of ??PES?? and concluded that ??PES?? is not valid for the problem.     

Onset of electroconvective instability of Oldroydian viscoelastic liquid layer in Brinkman porous medium

The problem of the onset of electrohydrodynamic instability in a horizontal layer of Oldroydian viscoelastic dielectric liquid through Brinkman porous medium under the simultaneous action of a certical ac electric field and a vertical temperature gradient is analyzed. Applying linear stability theory, we derive an equation of eight order. Under somewhat suitable boundary conditions, this equation can be solved exactly to yield the required eigenvalue relationship from which various critical values are determined in detail. Both the cases of stationary and oscillatory instabilities are discussed if the liquid layer is heated from below or above. The effects of the porosity of porous medium, the medium permeability, the Prandtl number, the ratio of retardation time to relaxation time, the elastic number, in the presence or absence of Rayleigh number are shown graphically for both cases. Some of the known results are derived as special cases. The electrical force has been shown to be the sole agency causing instability of the considered system since it is much more important than the buoyancy force even if the medium is porous.     

The Onset and Nonlinear Regimes of Convection in a Two-Layer System of Fluid and Porous Medium Saturated by the Fluid

The onset of convection and its nonlinear regimes in a heated from below two-layer system consisting of a horizontal pure fluid layer and porous medium saturated by the same fluid is studied under the conditions of static gravitational field. The problem is solved numerically by the finite-difference method. The competition between the long-wave and short-wave convective modes at various ratios of the porous layer to the fluid layer thicknesses is analyzed. The data on the nature of convective motion excitation and flow structure transformation are obtained for the range of the Rayleigh numbers up to quintuple supercriticality. It has been found that in the case of a thick porous layer the steady-state convective regime occurring after the establishment of the mechanical equilibrium becomes unstable and gives way to the oscillatory regime at some value of the Rayleigh number. As the Rayleigh number grows further the oscillatory regime of convection is again replaced by the steady-state convective regime.     

Coriolis Effect on the Linear Stability of Convection in a Porous Layer Placed Far Away from the Axis of Rotation

The linear stability theory is used to investigate analytically the Coriolis effect on centrifugally driven convection in a rotating porous layer. The problem corresponding to a layer placed far away from the axis of rotation was identified as a distinct case and therefore justifying special attention. The stability of the basic centrifugally driven convection is analysed. The marginal stability criterion is established as a characteristic centrifugal Rayleigh number in terms of the wavenumber and the Taylor number.     

Convective Stability in a Rectangular Box of Fluid-Saturated Porous Medium with Constant Pressure Top and Constant Flux Bottom Heating

A fluid-saturated porous medium in a rectangular box is heated from below by constant flux. The top is open at constant pressure and the sides are insulated. Linear free convection stability analysis yields a complicated characteristic equation. It is found that the critical Rayleigh number and the incipient mode are sensitive to the dimensions of the box.     

The Onset of Convection in an Anisotropic Porous Layer Using a Thermal Non-Equilibrium Model

The stability of a horizontal fluid saturated anisotropic porous layer heated from below and cooled from above is examined analytically when the solid and fluid phases are not in local thermal equilibrium. Darcy model with anisotropic permeability is employed to describe the flow and a two-field model is used for energy equation each representing the solid and fluid phases separately. The linear stability theory is implemented to compute the critical Rayleigh number and the corresponding wavenumber for the onset of convective motion. The effect of thermal non-equilibrium and anisotropy in both mechanical and thermal properties of the porous medium on the onset of convection is discussed. Besides, asymptotic analysis for both very small and large values of the interphase heat transfer coefficient is also presented. An excellent agreement is found between the exact and asymptotic solutions. Some known results, which correspond to thermal equilibrium and isotropic porous medium, are recovered in limiting cases.     

Numerical Investigation of the Second Transition in the Problem of Plane Convective Flow through a Porous Medium

The problem of convective flow through a porous medium in a plane rectangular vessel with a linear temperature profile steadily maintained on the boundary is considered. Single-parameter families of steady-state regimes resulting from the existence of cosymmetry of the corresponding differential equations are investigated using the Galerkin method. The onset and development of instability on these families and the characteristics of convective regimes as functions of the seepage Rayleigh number and the rectangle side ratio are studied. It is shown that the number of regimes which lose stability, the instability type, the number of convective rollers developed, and the heat transfer depend significantly on the vessel geometry. Several bifurcations of single-parameter families of steady-state regimes are identified and investigated.     

Stationary Fingering Instability in a Non-equilibrium Porous Medium with Coupled Molecular Diffusion

Finger type double diffusive convective instability in a fluid-saturated porous medium is studied in the presence of coupled heat-solute diffusion. A local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) condition is invoked to model the Darcian porous medium which takes into account the energy transfer between the fluid and solid phases. Linear stability theory is implemented to compute the critical thermal Rayleigh number and the corresponding wavenumber exactly for the onset of stationary convection. The effects of Soret and Dufour cross-diffusion parameters, inter-phase heat transfer coefficient and porosity modified conductivity ratio on the instability of the system are investigated. The analysis shows that positive Soret mass flux triggers instability and positive Dufour energy flux enhances stability whereas their combined influence depends on the product of solutal Rayleigh number and Lewis number. It also reveals that cell width at the convection threshold gets affected only in the presence of both the cross-diffusion fluxes. Besides, asymptotic solutions for both small and large values of the inter-phase heat transfer coefficient and porosity modified conductivity ratio are found. An excellent agreement is found between the exact and asymptotic solutions.