Uniform magnetic field impact on absolute versus convective onset of Darcy-Benard convection with horizontal throughflow

PurposeThe onset of Darcy-Benard convection in a fluid-saturated porous layer within channeled walls can be through either the convectively amplified perturbations or absolutely unstable modes. The convective type route to formation of cellular forms has received much more interest in the literature than the absolute mode. This paper aims to explore the absolute instability mechanism on triggering the Benard convection in the presence of a uniform magnetic field acting perpendicular to the channel walls. Design/methodology/approachPursuing a completely theoretical linear stability approach, the locus of wavenumbers and critical Rayleigh numbers with respect to varying Peclet numbers leading to zero complex group velocity, and hence the absolute instability onset, is formulated in closed form. The formulae also incorporate the influence of fluid movement through the porous layer. FindingsWanenumbers are found to be increasing in magnitude under the effect of the magnetic field. Although the magnetic field expectedly behaves in favor of stabilizing the convection through both convective and absolute instabilities by pushing the threshold value of Rayleigh number to higher values, a peculiarity exists in such a manner that the stabilizing effect of magnetic field can no longer compete against the absolute instability mechanism within the magnetized field after some critical location possessing negative part of the wavenumber. Originality/valueThe significant outcome is attributed to the exchange of instabilities as far as the absolute instability mechanism is concerned. Magnetic field is always stabilizing and no such trend is observed regarding the convective type instability.