Stability of Ferrofluids : Linear and Nonlinear

The goal of the research documented in the thesis is to investigate the stability of ferrofluids. In particular, the work focuses on the thin layer of ferrofluid heated from below. Chapter 1 has provided a brief overview of ferrofluid history along with several basic definitions needed to understand the material presented in the later chapters. Chapter 2 deals with the theoretical investigation of the nonlinear stability analysis of magnetized ferrofluid heated from below. Chapters 3 and 4 are devoted to study the effect of rotation and solute, respectively, on stability of magnetized Introduction 29 ferrofluid. Chapter 5 deals with the theoretical investigation of the nonlinear stability analysis of magnetized ferrofluid heated from below saturating a porous medium of high permeability via generalized energy method using a Brinkman model. Chapters 6 and 7 focus on studying the effect of rotation and solute respectively, on stability of magnetized ferrofluid saturating a porous medium. Finally, a summary of the present work and some future directions are presented.