Thermal convection in a sparcely packed porous layer saturated with suspended particles

This analytical study has considered the incipient convection of a sparcely packed porous medium saturated with suspended particles. A linear stabilit y analysis is performed to determine the effects of the permeability of the medium and suspended components on the conditions for incipient instabilit y under a range of thermal boundary conditions. The flow in the medium is m odeled by using the Brinkman-extended Darcy model. The analysis reveals tha t the stability of the system is affected significantly by the presence of the porous medium, state of particles and the thermal boundary conditions. Moreover, the results of this study bridge the gap between thermal convecti on in a porous medium and in a classical fluid with suspended particles. (C ) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.