Nanofluid Bioconvection in a Horizontal Fluid-Saturated Porous Layer

The theory of nanofluid bioconvection in porous media is presented. The major motivation of using bioconvection is to enhance mixing and mass transfer in microvolumes, but before this goal can be implemented in practical microdevices, nanofluid bioconvection must be understood at the fundamental level. The developed theory is applied to investigating the onset of nanofluid bioconvection in a horizontal porous layer heated from below. The cases of non-oscillatory and oscillatory convection are investigated. The obtained results indicate that the effect of microorganisms on the stability of the suspension may depend on the value of bioconvection Peclet number.