Effect of Suspended Particles on the Onset of Thermal Convection in a Nanofluid Layer for More Realistic Boundary Conditions

The effect of suspended particles on the onset of thermal convection in a horizontal layer of nanofluid is studied. The flux of volume fraction of a nanoparticle is taken to be zero on the isothermal boundaries. The model used incorporates the effect of Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis. The relevant equations of the problem are linearized using Boussinesq approximation and the perturbed quantities are analyzed in terms of normal modes analysis. The stability criterions for stationary and oscillatory convection have been derived and graphs have been plotted to study the effects of the suspended particles, Lewis number and modified diffusivity ratio on the stationary convection and it is found that suspended particle, Lewis number and modified diffusivity ratio destabilizes fluid layer.