On the stability of steady convective motion generated by internal heat sources in a magnetic field

Abstract

The stability of steady convective motion of a viscous incompressible fluid in a transverse magnetic field is investigated using the method of small perturbations. The motion is caused by internal heat sources uniformly distributed within the vertical layer of the fluid. The stability analysis shows that the critical Grasshof number increases with the growth of the magnetic field. The role of the Prandtl and Hartmann numbers on the stability characteristics are discussed. For high Prandtl numbers, instability occurs in the form of thermal running waves.