Stability of fluid flow in a Brinkman porous medium-A numerical study

The stability of fluid flow in a horizontal layer of Brinkman porous medium with fluid viscosity different from effective viscosity is investigated. A modified Orr-Sommerfeld equation is derived and solved numerically using the Chebyshev collocation method. The critical Reynolds number Re-c, the critical wave number alpha(c) and the critical wave speed c(c) are computed for various values of porous parameter and ratio of viscosities. Based on these parameters, the stability characteristics of the system are discussed in detail. Streamlines are presented for selected values of parameters at their critical state.