The flow past a sphere in a cylindrical tube: effects of intertia,shear-thinning and elasticity

Numerical solutions are presented for the flow past a sphere placed at the centreline of a cylindrical tube for Reynolds numbers ranging from 0 to 150, using a boundary element method. Fluids are modelled by a variety of constitutive equations including the Newtonian, the Carreau and the Phan-Thien-Tanner models. The influence of inertia, shear-thinning and fluid elasticity on the flow field, drag and the pressure drop force-drag ratio is examined. Some results are compared with available experimental data.     

On non-linear magnetohydrodynamic problems of an Oldroyd 6-constant fluid

In this work we develop a mathematical model to predict the velocity profile for an unidirectional, incompressible and steady flow of an Oldroyd 6-constant fluid. The fluid is electrically conducting by a transverse magnetic field. The developed governing equation is non-linear. This equation is solved analytically to obtain the general solution. The governing non-linear equation is also solved numerically subject to appropriate boundary conditions (three cases of typical plane shearing flows) by an iterative technique with the finite-difference discretizations. A parametric study of the physical parameters involved in the problems such as the applied magnetic field and the material constants is conducted. The obtained results are illustrated graphically to show salient features of the solutions. Numerical results show that the applied magnetic field tends to reduce the flow velocity. Depending on the choice of the material parameters, the fluid exhibits shear-thickening or shear-thinning behaviours.     

MHD flow of a power-law fluid over a rotating disk

Magnetohydrodynamic flow of an electrically conducting power-law fluid in the vicinity of a constantly rotating infinite disk in the presence of a uniform magnetic field is considered. The steady, laminar and axi-symmetric flow is driven solely by the rotating disk, and the incompressible fluid obeys the inelastic Ostwald de Waele power-law model. The three-dimensional boundary layer equations transform exactly into a set of ordinary differential equations in a generalized similarity variable. These ODEs are solved numerically for values of the magnetic parameter m up to 4.0. The effect of the magnetic field is to reduce, and eventually suppress, the radially directed outflow. An accompanying reduction of the axial flow towards the disk is observed, together with a thinning of the boundary layer adjacent to the disk, thereby increasing the torque required to maintain rotation of the disk at the prescribed angular velocity. The influence of the magnetic field is more pronounced for shear-thinning than for shear-thickening fluids.     

Effects of variable fluid viscosity on flow past a heated stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium in presence of heat source/sink

The boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a fluid through a porous medium towards a stretching sheet in presence of heat generation or absorption is considered in this analysis. Fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. The symmetry groups admitted by the corresponding boundary value problem are obtained by using a special form of Lie group transformations viz. scaling group of transformations. These transformations are used to convert the partial differential equations corresponding to the momentum and the energy equations into highly non-linear ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by shooting method. It is found that the horizontal velocity decreases with increasing temperature-dependent fluid viscosity parameter up to the crossing-over point but increases after that point and the temperature decreases in this case. With the increase of permeability parameter of the porous medium the fluid velocity decreases but the temperature increases at a particular point of the sheet. Effects of Prandtl number on the velocity boundary layer and on the thermal boundary layer are studied and plotted.     

Effects of partial slip on chemically reactive solute transfer in the boundary layer flow over an exponentially stretching sheet with suction/blowing

The boundary layer flow and mass transfer toward an exponentially stretching porous sheet are analyzed in this paper. Velocity slip is considered instead of the no-slip condition on the boundary. Self-similar equations are obtained by using similarity transformations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by the shooting method. It is found that the fluid velocity and concentration decrease with increasing slip parameter. The fluid velocity decreases with increasing suction parameter.     

The Stokes boundary layer for a power-law fluid

We develop semi-analytical, self-similar solutions for the oscillatory boundary layer (‘Stokes layer’) in a semi-infinite power-law fluid bounded by an oscillating wall (the so-called Stokes problem). These solutions differ significantly from the classical solution for a Newtonian fluid, both in the non-sinusoidal form of the velocity oscillations and in the manner at which their amplitude decays with distance from the wall. In particular, for shear-thickening fluids the velocity reaches zero at a finite distance from the wall, and for shear-thinning fluids it decays algebraically with distance, in contrast to the exponential decay for a Newtonian fluid. We demonstrate numerically that these semi-analytical, self-similar solutions provide a good approximation to the flow driven by a sinusoidally oscillating wall.     

SIMILARITY SOLUTIONS OF BOUNDARY LAYER EQUATIONS FOR A SPECIAL NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID IN A SPECIAL COORDINATE SYSTME

Two dimensional equations of steady motion for third order fluids are expressed in a special coordinate system generated by the potential flow corresponding to an inviscid fluid. For the inviscid flow around an arbitrary object, the streamlines are the phicoordinates and velocity potential lines are psi-coordinates which form an orthogonal curvilinear set of coordinates. The outcome, boundary layer equations, is then shown to be independent of the body shape immersed into the flow. As a first approximation, assumption that second grade terms are negligible compared to viscous and third grade terms. Second grade terms spoil scaling transformation which is only transformation leading to similarity solutions for third grade fluid. By ~sing Lie group methods, infinitesimal generators of boundary layer equations are calculated. The equations are transformed into an ordinary differential system. Numerical solutions of outcoming nonlinear differential equations are found by using combination of a Runge-Kutta algorithm and shooting technique.     

Mixed convection boundary layer flow past a wedge with permeable walls

The effects of suction/injection on steady laminar mixed convection boundary layer flow over a permeable horizontal surface of a wedge in a viscous and incompressible fluid is considered in this paper. The similarity solutions of the governing boundary layer equations are obtained for some values of the suction/injection parameter f ₀, the constant exponent m of the wall temperature as well as the mixed convection parameter λ. The resulting system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved numerically for both assisting and opposing flow regimes using an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. Numerical results for the reduced skin friction coefficient, the local Nusselt number, and the velocity and temperature profiles are obtained for various values of parameters considered. Dual solutions are found to exist for the case of opposing flow.     

Effects of thermal radiation and variable fluid viscosity on stagnation point flow past a porous stretching sheet

Similarity analysis is performed to investigate the structure of the boundary layer stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a stretching sheet subject to suction. Fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. Thermal radiation term is considered in the energy equation. The symmetry groups admitted by the corresponding boundary value problem are obtained by using a special form of Lie group transformations viz. scaling group of transformations. With the help of them the partial differential equations corresponding to momentum and energy equations are transformed into highly non-linear ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by shooting method. It is found that the horizontal velocity increases with the increasing values of the ratio of the free stream velocity to the stretching velocity. Velocity increases with the increasing temperature dependent fluid viscosity parameter when the free-stream velocity is less than the stretching velocity but opposite behavior is noted when the free-stream velocity is greater than the stretching velocity. Due to suction, fluid velocity decreases at a particular point of the surface. Temperature at a point of the surface is found to decrease with increasing thermal radiation.     

Numerical solutions of free convection boundary layer flow on a solid sphere with Newtonian heating in a micropolar fluid

In this paper, the problem of free convection boundary layer flow on a solid sphere in a micropolar fluid with Newtonian heating, in which the heat transfer from the surface is proportional to the local surface temperature, is considered. The transformed boundary layer equations in the form of partial differential equations are solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme. Numerical solutions are obtained for the local wall temperature, the local skin friction coefficient, as well as the velocity, angular velocity and temperature profiles. The features of the flow and heat transfer characteristics for different values of the material or micropolar parameter K, the Prandtl number Pr and the conjugate parameter γ are analyzed and discussed.     

Effects of partial slip on boundary layer flow past a permeable exponential stretching sheet in presence of thermal radiation

An analysis is presented to describe the boundary layer flow and heat transfer towards a porous exponential stretching sheet. Velocity and thermal slips are considered instead of no-slip conditions at the boundary. Thermal radiation term is incorporated in the temperature equation. Similarity transformations are used to convert the partial differential equations corresponding to the momentum and heat equations into highly non-linear ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by shooting method. It is found that the fluid velocity and temperature decrease with increasing slip parameter. Temperature is found to decrease with an increase of thermal slip parameter. Thermal radiation enhances the effective thermal diffusivity and the temperature rises.     

A quasi-similarity analysis of the turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate

The partial differential equation of the boundary layer on a flat plate are simplified by using the universal variables for turbulent flow. For laminar flow this gives boundary layer having a finite thickness and a friction coefficient differing by a few percent from the Blasius value. For a turbulent flow a differential equation for the velocity distribution is obtained with a parameter which varies slowly with the streamwise coordinate. The numerical value of this parameter is determined as an eigenvalue of the differential equations giving a velocity profile which evolves as the boundary layer thickens. Numerical calculations using a simple eddy viscosity model gave results in very good agreement with experiment.     

MHD stagnation-point flow and heat transfer towards stretching sheet with induced magnetic field

The problem of the steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stagnation-point flow of an incompressible viscous fluid over a stretching sheet is studied. The effect of an induced magnetic field is taken into account. The nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into ordinary differential equations via the similarity transformation. The transformed boundary layer equations are solved numerically using the shooting method. Numerical results are obtained for various magnetic parameters and Prandtl numbers. The effects of the induced magnetic field on the skin friction coefficient, the local Nusselt number, the velocity, and the temperature profiles are presented graphically and discussed in detail.     

Constant heat flux solution for mixed convection boundary layer viscoelastic fluid

The mixed convection boundary layer of a viscoelastic fluid past a circular cylinder with constant heat flux is discussed. The boundary layer equations are an order higher than those for the Newtonian (viscous) fluid and the adherence boundary conditions are insufficient to determine the solution of these equations completely. The governing non-similar partial differential equations are transformed into dimensionless forms and then solved numerically using the Keller-box method by augmenting an extra boundary condition at infinity. Numerical results obtained in the form of velocity distributions and temperature profiles are presented for a range of values of the dimensionless viscoelastic fluid parameter. It is found that for some values of the viscoelastic parameter and some negative values of the mixed convection parameter (opposing flow) the momentum boundary layer separates from the cylinder. Heating the cylinder delays separation and can, if the cylinder is warm enough, suppress the separation completely. Similar to the case of a Newtonian fluid, cooling the cylinder brings the separation point nearer to the lower stagnation point.     

Analytical solution to stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a stretching sheet based on homotopy analysis

This paper is concerned with two-dimensional stagnation-point steady flow of an incompressible viscous fluid towards a stretching sheet whose velocity is proportional to the distance from the slit. The governing system of partial differential equations is first transformed into a system of dimensionless ordinary differential equations. Analytical solutions of the velocity distribution and dimensionless temperature profiles are obtained for different ratios of free stream velocity and stretching velocity, Prandtl number, Eckert number and dimensionality index in series forms using homotopy analysis method（HAM）. It is shown that a boundary layer is formed when the free stream velocity exceeds the stretching velocity, and an inverted boundary layer is formed when the free stream velocity is less than the stretching velocity. Graphs are presented to show the effects of different parameters.     

Free Convection Boundary Layer Flow Past a Vertical Surface in a Porous Medium with Temperature-Dependent Properties

Numerical solutions for the free convection heat transfer in a viscous fluid at a permeable surface embedded in a saturated porous medium, in the presence of viscous dissipation with temperature-dependent variable fluid properties, are obtained. The governing equations for the problem are derived using the Darcy model and the Boussinesq approximation (with nonlinear density temperature variation in the buoyancy force term). The coupled non-linearities arising from the temperature-dependent density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and viscous dissipation are included. The partial differential equations of the model are reduced to ordinary differential equations by a similarity transformation and the resulting coupled, nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically by a second order finite difference scheme for several sets of values of the parameters. Also, asymptotic results are obtained for large values of | f _w|. Moreover, the numerical results for the velocity, the temperature, and the wall-temperature gradient are presented through graphs and tables, and are discussed. It is observed that by increasing the fluid variable viscosity parameter, one could reduce the velocity and thermal boundary layer thickness. However, quite the opposite is true with the non-linear density temperature variation parameter.     

Similarity Solution of Unsteady Boundary Layer Equations with a Magnetic Field

The unsteady laminar incompressible boundary layer flow of an electricallyconducting fluid in the stagnation region of two-dimensional and axisymmetricbodies with an applied magnetic field has been studied. The boundary layerequations which are parabolic partial differential equations with threeindependent variables have been reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations by using suitable transformations and then solved numerically using a shooting method. Here, we have obtained new solutions which are solutions of both the boundary layer and Navier-Stokes equations.     

Free convection heat and mass transfer with Hall current, Joule heating and thermal diffusion

A boundary layer analysis has been presented to study the combined effects of viscous dissipation, Joule heating, transpiration, heat source, thermal diffusion and Hall current on the hydromagnetic free convection and mass transfer flow of an electrically conducting, viscous, homogeneous, incompressible fluid past an infinite vertical porous plate. The governing partial differential equations of the hydromagnetic free convective boundary layer flow are reduced to non-linear ordinary differential equations and solutions for primary velocity, secondary velocity, temperature and concentration field are obtained for large suction. The expressions for the skin-friction, the heat transfer and the mass transfer are also derived. The results of the study are discussed through graphs and tables for different numerical values of the parameters entered into the equations governing the flow.     

Order in chaotic pseudoplastic flow between coaxial cylinders

Order is found within the chaotic nonlinear flow between rotating coaxial cylinders. The flow stability analysis is carried out for a pseudoplastic fluid through bifurcation diagram and Lyapunov exponent histogram. The fluid is assumed to follow the Carreau–Bird model, and mixed boundary conditions are imposed. The low-order dynamical system, resulted from Galerkin projection of the conservation of mass and momentum equations, includes additional nonlinear terms in the velocity components originated from the shear-dependent viscosity. It is observed that the base flow loses its radial flow stability to the vortex structure at a lower critical Taylor number, as the shear-thinning effects increase. The emergence of the vortices corresponds to the onset of a supercritical bifurcation, which is also seen in the flow of a linear fluid. However, unlike the Newtonian case, shear-thinning Taylor vortices lose their stability as the Taylor number reaches a second critical number corresponding to the onset of a Hopf bifurcation. Complete flow field together with viscosity maps are given for different scenarios in the bifurcation diagram.     

Heat and mass transfer by natural convection at a stagnation point in a porous medium considering Soret and Dufour effects

Dufour and Soret effects on flow at a stagnation point in a fluid-saturated porous medium are studied in this paper. A two dimensional stagnation-point flow with suction/injection of a Darcian fluid is considered. By using an appropriate similarity transformation, the boundary layer equations of momentum, energy and concentration are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically using the Keller-box method, which is a very efficient finite differences technique. Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are obtained, together with the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles in the boundary layer. For the large suction case, asymptotic analytical solutions of the problem are obtained, which compare favourably with the numerical solutions. A critical view of the problem is presented finally.