Thermohaline convection of a Casson fluid in a porous layer: Linear and non-linear stability analyses

Abstract

The study investigates the thermosolutal convection of a Casson fluid in a horizontal layer that is heated and salted from below. Both linear and non-linear analyses are performed using the method of normal modes to solve the governing equations. Interestingly, the study demonstrates that the linear and non-linear stability thresholds coincide. To solve the differential eigenvalue problem for linear theory, a one-term Galerkin approach is employed. Meanwhile, for the eigenvalue problem of non-linear instability, a numerical solution is obtained using the bvp4c routine in MATLAB. The results reveal some important findings. First, the Casson parameter is shown to destabilize the flow, leading to instability. However, the Darcy number and solutal Rayleigh number are found to have a stabilizing effect on the system. Furthermore, the study develops a weakly non-linear theory using multiple scale analysis to investigate heat and mass transport, offering valuable insight into these transport phenomena within the context of the system under consideration.