Effect of cross diffusion on double diffusive convection in the presence of horizontal gradients

Abstract

The effect of cross diffusion namely Soret coefficient and Dufour coefficient on the double diffusive convection in an unbounded vertically stratified two component system with compensating horizontal thermal and solute gradients is investigated in this paper. The conditions for the onset of stationary instability and oscillatory instability are established by the use of normal mode analysis. The effect of various physical parameters on the stability of the system is shown graphically. It is shown that the maximum growth rate of instability, the slope of the wave front and the wave number depend on both Soret and Dufour parameters. We also found the flux ratio corresponding to the maximum growth rate. Some of the known results of the former problems are deduced as special cases. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.