Double diffusion convection of Maxwell–Cattaneo fluids in a vertical slot

Abstract

Abstract The convection stability of Maxwell–Cattaneo fluids in a vertical double-diffusive layer is investigated. Maxwell–Cattaneo fluids mean that the response of the heat flux with respect to the temperature gradient satisfies a relaxation time law rather than the classical Fourier one. The Chebyshev collocation method is used to resolve the linearized forms of perturbation equations, leading to the formulation of stability eigenvalue problem. By numerically solving the eigenvalue problem, the neutral stability curves in the a–Gr plane for the different values of solute Rayleigh number RaS are obtained. Results show that increasing the double diffusion effect and Louis number Le can suppress the convective instability. Furthermore, compared with Fourier fluid, the Maxwell–Cattaneo fluids in a vertical slot cause an oscillation on the neutral stability curve. The appearance of Maxwell–Cattaneo effect enhances the convection instability. Meanwhile, it is interesting to find that the Maxwell–Cattaneo effect for convective instability becomes stronger as the Prandtl number rises. That means Prandtl number (Pr) also has a significant effect on convective instability. Moreover, the occurrence of two minima on the neutral curve can be found when Pr reaches 12.