Coupled capillary and gravity-driven instability in a liquid film overlying a porous layer

In this work, we study the problem of onset of thermal convection in a fluid layer overlying a porous layer, the whole system being heated from below. We use Brinkman’s model to describe the porous medium and determine the corresponding linear stability equations. The eigenvalue problem is solved by means of a modified Galerkin method. The behavior of the critical wave number and temperature gradient is discussed in terms of the various parameters of the system. We also emphasize the influence of the boundary conditions at the upper surface of the fluid layer; in particular, we examine the role of a free surface whose surface tension is temperature dependent (Marangoni effect). Comparison with earlier works is also made.