Effect of Temperature Gradients and DC Electric Field on Electrothermal Convection in a Rotating Layer of Walter's-B Fluid Saturated Porous Media

Abstract

Thermal convection in fluid-saturated porous media has diverse applications across geothermal energy utilisation, thermal insulation engineering, grain storage and understanding geodynamic processes. The thermal convection's physics is crucial for optimising the thermofluid system, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing our understanding of natural phenomena. The study examines how the initiation of electrothermal convection in a rotating viscoelastic fluid layer (Walter's B) is influenced by basic temperature gradients and a uniform vertical DC electric field, considering three different types of velocity boundary conditions: free-free, rigid-rigid, and lower rigid and upper free. By applying an electric field to a fluid, studying electrothermal convection helps engineers design effective cooling systems for electronics. The eigenvalue problem is solved by using the Galerkin technique. The Galerkin method is a widely used numerical technique for solving eigenvalue problems. The DC electric field effect exhibits a more stabilising effect for free-free boundaries than rigid and rigid-rigid boundaries. Moreover, the linear temperature profile exhibits a more stabilising effect than the parabolic temperature profile. The control of electrothermal convection on the system with the impact of other physical parameters is also discussed.