Onset of centrifugal convection in a magnetic-fluid-saturated porous medium

This paper concerns the influence of magnetic field on the onset of centrifugal convection in a magnetic-fluid-filled differentially heated porous layer placed in zero-gravity environment by linear stability theory. The axis of rotation of the layer is placed anywhere within its boundaries, which leads to an alternating direction of the centrifugal body force. The critical centrifugal Rayleigh number, the critical wave number, and the eigenfunctions corresponding to two-dimensional flow pattern at the threshold are calculated using a combination of analytical and numerical methods. Results show significant effects even for low magnetic-field strength when the axis location is located near the cold boundary. It is found that the magnetic field has a destabilizing effect and can be suitably adjusted depending on the axis location and particle magnetization to induce more developed convection currents.