Numerical solution of a thermal instability problem in a rotating nanofluid layer

Thermal instability of a nanofluid layer heated from below in the presence of rotation is investigated. The lower boundary of the nanofluid layer is considered to be rigid, while the upper boundary is assumed to be either rigid or free. The effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis have been included in the model of nanofluid. The 6-term Galerkin method is used to obtain the eigenvalue equation, which is then solved numerically. The effects of rotation and other physical parameters on the onset of convection are analyzed and compared for two types velocity boundary conditions considered. Besides, some known results available in the literature are compared with those obtained from the present study and good agreement is found.