Abstract:

The present paper investigates the effects of a vertical magnetic field on the double diffusive nanofluid convection. The effects of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis due to the presence of nanoparticles and the effects of the Dufour and Soret parameters due to the presence of solute are included in the investigated model. The normal mode technique is used to solve the conservation equations. For the analytical study, valid approximations are made in the complex expression for the Rayleigh number to get useful and interesting results. The bottom heavy binary nanofluids are more stable than the regular binary fluids, while the top heavy binary nanofluids are less stable than the regular binary fluids. The critical wave number and the critical Rayleigh number increase whereas the frequency of oscillation (for the bottom heavy configuration) decreases when the Chandrasekhar number increases. The numerical results for the alumina-water nanofluid are studied by use of the MATHEMATICA software.

Key words: Chandrasekhar number, Brownian motion, natural convection, binary nanofluid, thermophoresis