Unstable buoyant viscoelastic fluid flow in a vertical porous layer with temperature-dependent viscosity

The stability of thermally driven buoyant flow of a viscoelastic fluid saturating a vertical porous layer with viscosity depending linearly on temperature is investigated numerically. The rheological behavior of the fluid is described through the Oldroyd-B model, leading to a modified Darcy's law of momentum transfer in the porous medium. The study explores the linear stability of the base flow by analyzing the behavior of normal modes of perturbation. Neutral stability curves and the critical Darcy–Rayleigh number are determined for a wide range of viscoelastic and viscosity parameters. Transition curves from stability to instability in the viscoelastic parameters space are also provided for both constant and variable viscosity cases. Additionally, the results for Newtonian, Boger, and Maxwell fluids are delineated as particular cases from this study.