Numerical Modeling of a Falling Bioconvection Plume in a Porous Medium

Abstract

This thesis considers the bioconvective plume in a fluid saturated porous medium. Bioconvective plumes arise as a result of an unstable distribution of micro-organisms. This unstable distribution occurs when the micro-organisms, heavier than, accumulate in the upper regions of the fluid. The plume transports cells and oxygen from the upper regions to the lower regions. This thesis attempts to find a steady state solution of the plume in a porous medium by an of implicit finite difference method. The parabolized governing equations are discretized in a series of implicit finite difference equations, and the resulting steady state solutions are presented. A similarity solution of the plume is also obtained for comparison purposes.