An analytical study of double diffusive convection in a porous medium saturated with couple stress fluid in the presence of Soret effect

Abstract

The onset of double-diffusive convection in a couple stress fluid-saturated porous layer with Soret effect is studied using both linear and nonlinear stability analysis. The linear theory depends on normal mode technique, and nonlinear analysis depends on a minimal representation of double Fourier series. The effect of the Soret parameter, couple stress parameter, and solute Rayleigh number on the stationary, oscillatory, and finite amplitude convection is presented graphically. It is observed that the Soret coefficient enhances the instability of the system in stationary mode while stabilizes the system in the oscillatory and finite amplitude modes. The domain of nonlinear double-diffusive convection ensures the quantification of heat and mass transfer. © 2011 by Begell House, Inc.