Effect of Modulation on the Onset of Convection in a Sparsely Packed Porous Layer

The stability of a Boussinesq fluid-saturated horizontal porous layer heated from below is examined when the applied temperature gradient is the sum of a steady component and a time-dependent sinusoidal component. The Brinkman model is employed and only infinitesimal disturbances are considered. A perturbation solution as a function of the applied field is obtained. The critical Rayleigh number is obtained for several cases depending on the frequency of oscillations and it is found that it is possible to advance or delay the onset of convection by thermal modulation of the wall temperature. The Darcy limit and viscous flow limit are obtained as degenerate cases.