Magnetic and radiation absorption effects on thermosolutal convection in a horizontal porous layer subject to cross fluxes of heat and mass

This study investigates the effect of electromagnetic field and radiation absorption on natural convection in a horizontal shallow porous cavity filled with an electrically conducting binary fluid. The vertical and horizontal walls of the cavity are subjected to cross fluxes of heat and mass. The Darcy model, Rosseland approximation for the radiative flux and the Boussinesq approximation for density variations are used in the formulation of the problem. In the limit of shallow cavity, parallel flow approximation is adopted and the result established that the flow intensity, heat and mass transfer are considerably affected by radiation absorption and magnetic field depending on whether the vertical solutal gradient is stabilizing or destabilizing. A critical radiation value, depending on the thermal Rayleigh number, for the onset of unstable convection is also established in this study. The effect of Soret is also mentioned.