Thermal convection in ferrofluids subjected to shear flow

R. Bajaj

Centre for Advanced Study in Mathematics, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014, India

Abstract
The effect of shear flow on the onset of Rayleigh--Benard convection in ferrofluids in the presence of a vertical magnetic field has been studied. The Chebyshev tau method has been used to find the marginal stability of the flow. Stability analysis has been carried out for stress-free boundaries as well as for rigid boundaries. Shear flow has been observed to affect the onset of rolls inclined to the direction of shear velocity. However, the onset of rolls in the direction of shear velocity is unaffected. The effect of the magnetic nature of the boundaries has also been discussed. Figs 14, Refs 14.