Thermal instability of rotating nanofluid layer

In the present paper we have considered thermal instability of rotating nanofluids heated from below. Linear stability analysis has been made to investigate analytically the effect of rotation. The more important effect of Brownian motion and thermophoresis has been included in the model of nanofluid. Galerkin method is used to obtain the analytical expression for both non-oscillatory and oscillatory cases, when boundaries surfaces are free–free. The influence of various nanofluids parameters and rotation on the onset of convection has been analysed. It has been shown that the rotation has a stabilizing effect depending upon the values of various nanofluid parameters. The critical Rayleigh number for the onset of instability is determined numerically and results are depicted graphically. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of over stability are also obtained.

► In the present paper we have studied the thermal instability of rotating nanofluid layer with free boundaries.
► We have obtained the critical Rayleigh number as well as critical wave number by using Galerkin-type weighted residuals method.
► Stability is discussed analytically as well as numerically.
► We have also discussed the case of over stability.