Title: An analytic study of the development of bioconvection in a suspension of randomly swimming gyrotactic microorganisms and nanoparticles

Authors: Atul Kumar Kushwaha; Yogeshver Dutt Sharma; Shivani Saini

Addresses: Department of Mathematics and Scientific Computing, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Hamirpur, 177005, India ' Department of Mathematics and Scientific Computing, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Hamirpur, 177005, India ' Department of Mathematics and Scientific Computing, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Hamirpur, 177005, India

Abstract: By formulating a mathematical model for randomly swimming gyrotactic microorganisms, the development of bioconvection in a suspension containing nanoparticles is studied. The modelled system of nonlinear partial differential equations are solved by using linear stability analysis, normal mode analysis and Galerkin weighted residual method to obtain secular equation containing parameters characterising the onset of bioconvection. The effect of thermophoresis and Brownian motion in the suspension of random swimming gyrotactic microorganisms has been analysed. The numerical results showing dependence of critical thermal Rayleigh number on bioconvection Rayleigh number, nanoparticle Rayleigh number, and nanoparticle Lewis number are also presented graphically. The analysis reveals that thermophoresis, nanoparticle mass diffusivity and volumetric fraction enhance the development of bioconvection. We also found that the impact of the thermal Rayleigh number on the bioconvection Rayleigh number is more significant than the nanoparticle Rayleigh number.

Keywords: nanofluid; random swimming; Brownian motion; thermophoresis; linear stability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNP.2021.120578

International Journal of Nanoparticles, 2021 Vol.13 No.4, pp.205 - 216

Received: 08 Oct 2020
Accepted: 29 Jun 2021
Published online: 26 Jan 2022 *

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