Magnetoconvection in a micropolar fluid

Abstract

The problem of Rayleigh–Bènard convection in an electrically conducting micropolar fluid layer permeated by a uniform, vertical magnetic field is investigated with free–free, isothermal, spin-vanishing boundaries. The influence of the various micropolar fluid parameters and magnetic field on the onset of stationary convection has been analysed. It is observed that the electrically conducting micropolar fluid layer heated from below is more stable as compared with the classical electrically conducting Newtonian fluid. The critical wave number is found to be insensitive to the changes in the micropolar fluid parameters, but sensitive to the Chandrasekhar number.