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.     

MHD flow and heat transfer for the upper-convected Maxwell fluid over a stretching sheet

In the present work, the effect of MHD flow and heat transfer within a boundary layer flow on an upper-convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid over a stretching sheet is examined. The governing boundary layer equations of motion and heat transfer are non-dimensionalized using suitable similarity variables and the resulting transformed, ordinary differential equations are then solved numerically by shooting technique with fourth order Runge–Kutta method. For a UCM fluid, a thinning of the boundary layer and a drop in wall skin friction coefficient is predicted to occur for higher the elastic number. The objective of the present work is to investigate the effect of Maxwell parameter β, magnetic parameter Mn and Prandtl number Pr on the temperature field above the sheet.     

Heat transfer in a power-law fluid film over a unsteady stretching sheet

In this paper the problem of momentum and heat transfer in a thin liquid film of power-law fluid on an unsteady stretching surface has been studied. Numerical solutions are obtained for some representative values of the unsteadiness parameter S and the power-law index n for a wide range of the generalized Prandtl number, 0.001 ≤ Pr ≤ 1000. Typical temperature and velocity profiles, the dimensionless film thickness, free-surface temperature, and the surface heat fluxes are presented at selected controlling parameters. The results show that increasing the value of n tends to increase the boundary-layer thickness and broadens the temperature distributions. The free-surface temperature of a shear thinning fluid is larger than that of a Newtonian fluid, but the opposite trend is true for a shear thickening fluid. For small generalized Prandtl numbers, the surface heat flux increases with a decrease in n, but the impacts of n on the heat transfer diminish for Pr greater than a moderate value (approximately 1 ≤ Pr ≤ 10, depending on the magnitude of S).     

Hydromagnetic flow and heat transfer adjacent to a stretching vertical sheet

An analysis is made for the steady two-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic flow of an incompressible viscous and electrically conducting fluid over a stretching vertical sheet in its own plane. The stretching velocity, the surface temperature and the transverse magnetic field are assumed to vary in a power-law with the distance from the origin. The transformed boundary layer equations are solved numerically for some values of the involved parameters, namely the magnetic parameter M, the velocity exponent parameter m, the temperature exponent parameter n and the buoyancy parameter λ, while the Prandtl number Pr is fixed, namely Pr = 1, using a finite difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. Similarity solutions are obtained in the presence of the buoyancy force if n = 2m−1. The features of the flow and heat transfer characteristics for different values of the governing parameters are analyzed and discussed. It is found that both the skin friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number decrease as the magnetic parameter M increases for fixed λ and m. For m = 0.2 (i.e. n = −0.6), although the sheet and the fluid are at different temperatures, there is no local heat transfer at the surface of the sheet except at the singular point of the origin (fixed point).     

Heat and mass transfer for micropolar flow with radiation effect past a nonlinearly stretching sheet

In this study, an analysis has been performed for heat and mass transfer with radiation effect of a steady laminar boundary-layer flow of a micropolar flow past a nonlinearly stretching sheet. Parameters n, K, k ₀, Pr, Ec, and Sc represent the dominance of the nonlinearly effect, material effect, radiation effect, heat and mass transfer effects which have presented in governing equations, respectively. The similar transformation, the finite-difference method and Runge–Kutta method have been used to analyze the present problem. The numerical solutions of the flow velocity distributions, temperature profiles, the wall unknown values of θ′(0) and ϕ′(0) for calculating the heat and mass transfer of the similar boundary-layer flow are carried out as functions of n, Ec, k ₀, Pr, Sc. The value of n, k ₀, Pr and Sc parameters are important factors in this study. It will produce greater heat transfer efficiency with a larger value of those parameters, but the viscous dissipation parameter Ec and material parameter K may reduce the heat transfer efficiency. On the other hand, for mass transfer, the value of Sc parameter is important factor in this study. It will produce greater heat transfer efficiency with a larger value of Sc.     

Computational modeling of biomagnetic micropolar blood flow and heat transfer in a two-dimensional non-Darcian porous medium

We study theoretically and computationally the incompressible, non-conducting, micropolar, biomagnetic (blood) flow and heat transfer through a two-dimensional square porous medium in an (x,y) coordinate system, bound by impermeable walls. The magnetic field acting on the fluid is generated by an electrical current flowing normal to the x–y plane, at a distance l beneath the base side of the square. The flow regime is affected by the magnetization B ₀ and a linear relation is used to define the relationship between magnetization and magnetic field intensity. The steady governing equations for x-direction translational (linear) momentum, y-direction translational (linear) momentum, angular momentum (micro-rotation) and energy (heat) conservation are presented. The energy equation incorporates a special term designating the thermal power per unit volume due to the magnetocaloric effect. The governing equations are non-dimensionalized into a dimensionless (ξ,η) coordinate system using a set of similarity transformations. The resulting two point boundary value problem is shown to be represented by five dependent non-dimensional variables, f _ξ  (velocity), f _η (velocity), g (micro-rotation), E (magnetic field intensity) and θ (temperature) with appropriate boundary conditions at the walls. The thermophysical parameters controlling the flow are the micropolar parameter (R), biomagnetic parameter (N _H ), Darcy number (Da), Forchheimer (Fs), magnetic field strength parameter (Mn), Eckert number (Ec) and Prandtl number (Pr). Numerical solutions are obtained using the finite element method and also the finite difference method for Ec=2.476×10⁻⁶ and Prandtl number Pr=20, which represent realistic biomagnetic hemodynamic and heat transfer scenarios. Temperatures are shown to be considerably increased with Mn values but depressed by a rise in biomagnetic parameter (N _H ) and also a rise in micropolarity (R). Translational velocity components are found to decrease substantially with micropolarity (R), a trend consistent with Newtonian blood flows. Micro-rotation values are shown to increase considerably with a rise in R values but are reduced with a rise in biomagnetic parameter (N _H ). Both translational velocities are boosted with a rise in Darcy number as is micro-rotation. Forchheimer number is also shown to decrease translational velocities but increase micro-rotation. Excellent agreement is demonstrated between both numerical solutions. The mathematical model finds applications in blood flow control devices, hemodynamics in porous biomaterials and also biomagnetic flows in highly perfused skeletal tissue. Dedicated to Professor Y.C. Fung (1919-), Emeritus Professor of Biomechanics, Bioengineering Department, University of California at San Diego, USA for his seminal contributions to biomechanics and physiological fluid mechanics over four decades and his excellent encouragement to the authors, in particular OAB, with computational biofluid dynamics research.     

Forced convection flow over a microsphere

Forced convection heat transfer characteristics around a microsphere subjected to uniform heat flux boundary condition is numerically investigated in this study. Moderate to high values of Reynolds number and a wide range of Prandtl number are considered. The analysis assumes that the continuity assumption is valid and hence the Navier–Stokes equations are solved for the range of Knudsen number of 0.001 ≤ Kn ≤ 0.1. The appropriate boundary conditions at the surface of the microsphere; the velocity slip and temperature jump are applied. The effect of the flow parameters: Re, Pr and Kn on the velocity and temperature distribution is presented and hence a better control on the boundary layer thickness can be achieved in the microscale level. Furthermore, the effect of the controlling parameters on the delay of flow separation, reduced shear stress, drag coefficient and on the Nusselt number profiles is also presented in the results.     

Squeezed flow and heat transfer over a porous surface for viscous fluid

Flow and heat transfer over a permeable sensor surface placed in a squeezing channel is analyzed. A constant transpiration through the sensor surface is assumed. Locally non-similar momentum and energy equations are solved by three different methods, against the transpiration parameter τ, for different values of the squeezing parameter b, and Prandtl number Pr. From the investigation, it is found that when the channel being squeezed, the skin-friction reduces but the heat transfer coefficient increases. Increase in the value of the squeezing parameter onsets reverse flow at the sensor surface when fluid is being injected and the affect is enhanced with the increase of injection through the surface. It is further observed that increase of suction of fluid through the sensor thins the thermal and the momentum boundary layer regions, whereas injection of fluid leads to thickening of both the thermal and the momentum boundary layer regions. Heat transfer from the surface of the sensor increases with the increase of the value of Pr for the entire range of surface mass-flux parameter τ. M. A. Hossain is on leave of absence from University of Dhaka.     

Free convection from a vertical permeable circular cone with non-uniform surface heat flux

 In this paper, the problem of laminar free convection from a vertical permeable circular cone maintained with non-uniform surface heat flux is considered. The governing boundary layer equations are reduced non-similar boundary layer equations with surface heat flux proportional to x ⁿ (where x is the distance measured from the leading edge). The solutions of the reduced equations are obtained by using three distinct solution methodologies; namely, (i) perturbation solution for small transpiration parameter, ξ, (ii) asymptotic solution for large ξ, and (iii) the finite difference solutions for all ξ. The solutions are presented in terms of local skin-friction and local Nusselt number for smaller values of Prandtl number and heat flux gradient and are displayed in tabular form as well as graphically. Effects of pertinent parameters on velocity and temperature profiles are also shown graphically. Solutions obtained by finite difference method are also compared with the perturbation solutions for small and large ξ and found to be in excellent agreement. Received on 1 October 1999     

Non-isobaric Marangoni boundary layer flow for Cu,Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles in a water based fluid

In this paper, a non-isobaric Marangoni boundary layer flow that can be formed along the interface of immiscible nanofluids in surface driven flows due to an imposed temperature gradient, is considered. The solution is determined using a similarity solution for both the momentum and energy equations and assuming developing boundary layer flow along the interface of the immiscible nanofluids. The resulting system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved numerically using the shooting method along with the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method. Numerical results are obtained for the interface velocity, the surface temperature gradient as well as the velocity and temperature profiles for some values of the governing parameters, namely the nanoparticle volume fraction φ (0≤φ≤0.2) and the constant exponent β. Three different types of nanoparticles, namely Cu, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ are considered by using water-based fluid with Prandtl number Pr =6.2. It was found that nanoparticles with low thermal conductivity, TiO₂, have better enhancement on heat transfer compared to Al₂O₃ and Cu. The results also indicate that dual solutions exist when β<0.5. The paper complements also the work by Golia and Viviani (Meccanica 21:200–204, 1986) concerning the dual solutions in the case of adverse pressure gradient.     

Flow of power-law fluids over a moving wedge surface with wall mass injection

The boundary layer problem of a power-law fluid flow with fluid injection on a wedge whose surface is moving with a constant velocity in the opposite direction to that of the uniform mainstream is analyzed. The free stream velocity, the injection velocity at the surface, moving velocity of the wedge surface, the wedge angle and the power law index of non-Newtonian fluid are assumed variables. The fourth order Runge–Kutta method modified by Gill is used to solve the non-dimensional boundary layer equations for non-Newtonian flow field. Without fluid injection, for every angle of wedge β, a limiting value for velocity ratio λ _cr (velocity of the wedge surface/velocity of the uniform flow) is found for each power-law index n. The value of λ _cr increases with the increasing wedge angle β. The value of wedge angle also restricts the physical characteristics of the fluid to be used. The effects of the different parameters on velocity profile and on skin friction are studied and the drag reduction is discussed. In case of C = 2.5 and velocity ratio λ = 0.2 for wedge angle β = 0.5 with the fluid with power law-index n = 0.5, 48.8% drag reduction is obtained.     

Thermal effects of the micropolar fluid parameters on the laminar free convection in spherical annuli with mixed boundary conditions

The effects of micro-rotation and vortex viscosity in micropolar fluids have been investigated numerically to determine heat transfer by natural convection between concentric and vertically eccentric spheres with specified mixed boundary conditions. Calculations were carried out systematically for several different eccentricities and a range of modified Rayleigh numbers to determine the average Nusslet numbers which are affected by the micropolar parameters (F) of the flow and temperature fields. The skin friction stress on the walls has also been studied and discussed. The governing equations, in terms of vorticity, stream function, temperature and angular momentum are expressed in a spherical polar coordinate system. Results were obtained for steady heat-transfer in spherical annuli at a Prandtl number of 0.7, with the modified Rayleigh number ranging from 10³ to 5 × 10⁵, for a radius ratio of 2.0 and eccentricities varying from −0.625 to +0.625. Comparisons are attempted between the Newtonian fluid and micropolar fluid.     

Scaling Transformations for Boundary Layer Flow near the Stagnation-Point on a Heated Permeable Stretching Surface in a Porous Medium Saturated with a Nanofluid and Heat Generation/Absorption Effects

In this article, a similarity solution of the steady boundary layer flow near the stagnation-point flow on a permeable stretching sheet in a porous medium saturated with a nanofluid and in the presence of internal heat generation/absorption is theoretically studied. The governing partial differential equations with the corresponding boundary conditions are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations with the appropriate boundary conditions via Lie-group analysis. Copper (Cu) with water as its base fluid has been considered and representative results have been obtained for the nanoparticle volume fraction parameter f{\phi} in the range 0 ￡ f ￡ 0.2{0\leq \phi \leq 0.2} with the Prandtl number of Pr = 6.8 for the water working fluid. Velocity and temperature profiles as well as the skin friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number are determined numerically. The influence of pertinent parameters such as nanofluid volume fraction parameter, the ratio of free stream velocity and stretching velocity parameter, the permeability parameter, suction/blowing parameter, and heat source/sink parameter on the flow and heat transfer characteristics is discussed. Comparisons with published results are also presented. It is shown that the inclusion of a nanoparticle into the base fluid of this problem is capable to change the flow pattern.     

Average and extremal properties of heat transfer and shear stress on a wall surface in Rayleigh–Bénard convection

In this study surface-averaged and extremal properties of heat transfer and shear stress on the upper wall surface of Rayleigh–Bénard convection are numerically examined. The Prandtl number was raised up to 10³, and the Rayleigh number was changed between 10⁴ and 10⁷. As a result, average Nusselt number Nu and shear rate τ/Pr depends on Pr, Ra, and the entire numerical results are distributed between two correlation equations corresponding to small and large Pr. The small and large Pr equations are closely related to steady and unsteady flow regimes, respectively. Nevertheless, a single relation τ/Pr ~ Nu ^3.0 exists to explain the entire results. Similarly the change of local maximal properties Nu _max and τ _max/Pr depends on Pr, Ra, and these values are also distributed between two correlation equations corresponding to small and large Pr cases. Despite such complicated dependence we can obtain a correlation equation as a form of τ _max/Pr ~ Nu _max^2.6, which has not been obtained theoretically.     

Non-Darcy buoyancy driven flows in a fluid saturated porous medium: the use of asymptotic computational fluid dynamics (ACFD) approach

Natural convection in a fluid saturated porous medium has been numerically investigated using a generalized non-Darcy approach. The governing equations are solved by using Finite Volume approach. First order upwind scheme is employed for convective formulation and SIMPLE algorithm for pressure velocity coupling. Numerical results are presented to study the influence of parameters such as Rayleigh number (10⁶ ≤Ra ≤10⁸), Darcy number (10⁻⁵ ≤ Da ≤ 10⁻²), porosity (0.4 ≤ ɛ ≤ 0.9) and Prandtl number (0.01 ≤ Pr ≤ 10) on the flow behavior and heat transfer. By combining the method of matched asymptotic expansions with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), so called asymptotic computational fluid dynamics (ACFD) technique has been employed to generate correlation for average Nusselt number. The technique is found to be an attractive option for generating correlation and also in the analysis of natural convection in porous medium over a fairly wide range of parameters with fewer simulations for numerical solutions.     

On thermal boundary layer of a non-Newtonian fluid on a power-law stretched surface of variable temperature with suction or injection

 Heat transfer characteristics of a non-Newtonian fluid on a power-law stretched surface of variable temperature with suction or injection were investigated. Similarity solutions of the laminar boundary layer equations describing heat transfer and fluid flow in a quiescent fluid were obtained and solved numerically. Velocity and temperature profiles as well as the Nusselt number, Nu, were studied for two thermal boundary conditions; uniform surface temperature and variable surface temperature, for different parameters; Prandtl number Pr, temperature exponent b, velocity exponent m, injection parameter d and power-law index n. It was found that decreasing injection parameter d, and power-law index n and increasing Prandtl number Pr and surface temperature exponent b enhance the heat transfer coefficient. Received on 27 April 2000     

Characterization of fluid flow patterns and heat transfer in horizontal channel mixed convection

Two mechanisms of roll initiation are highlighted in a horizontal channel flow, uniformly heated from below, at constant heat flux (Γ = 10, Pr = 7, 50 ≤ Re ≤ 100, 0 ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁶). The first mechanism is the classical one, it occurs for low Rayleigh numbers and is initiated by the lateral wall effect. The second occurs for higher Rayleigh numbers and combines the previous effect with a supercritical vertical temperature gradient in the lower boundary layer, which simultaneously triggers pairs of rolls in the whole zone in between the two lateral rolls. We have found that in the present configuration, the transition between the two roll initiation mechanisms occurs for Ra/Re ² ≈ 18. Consequently, the heat transfer is significantly enhanced compared to the pure forced convection case owing to the flow pattern responsible of the continuous flooding the heated wall with cold fluid.     

Conjugate heat transfer study of incompressible turbulent offset jet flows

In the present case, the conjugate heat transfer involving a turbulent plane offset jet is considered. The bottom wall of the solid block is maintained at an isothermal temperature higher than the jet inlet temperature. The parameters considered are the offset ratio (OR), the conductivity ratio (K), the solid slab thickness (S) and the Prandtl number (Pr). The Reynolds number considered is 15,000 because the flow becomes fully turbulent and then it becomes independent of the Reynolds number. The ranges of parameters considered are: OR = 3, 7 and 11, K = 1–1,000, S = 1–10 and Pr = 0.01–100. High Reynolds number two-equation model (k–ε) has been used for turbulence modeling. Results for the solid–fluid interface temperature, local Nusselt number, local heat flux, average Nusselt number and average heat transfer have been presented and discussed.     

Laminar mixed convection from a continuously moving vertical surface with suction or injection

The boundary layer flow over a uniformly moving vertical surface with suction or injection is studied when the buoyancy forces assist or oppose the flow. Similarity solutions are obtained for the boundary layer equations subject to power law temperature and velocity boundary conditions. The effect is of various governing parameters, such as Prandtl number Pr, temperature exponent n, injection parameter d, and the mixed convection parameter λ=Gr/Re², which determine the velocity and temperature distributions and the heat transfer coefficient, are studied. The heat transfer coefficient increases as λ assisting the flow for all d at Pr=0.72 however, for n=−1 it decreases sharply with λ. On the other hand, increasing λ has no effect on heat transfer coefficient for Pr=10 at n=0, and 1 for almost all values of d studied. However, for n=−1 it has similar effect as for Pr=0.72. It is also found that Nusselt number increases as n increases for fixed λ and d. Received on 26 March 1997     

Flow and heat transfer over an unsteady stretching surface with Hall effect

The present investigation is concerned with the effect of Hall currents on the flow and heat transfer of an electrically conducting fluid over an unsteady stretching surface in presence of a strong magnetic field. The induced magnetic field is neglected while the electron-atom collision frequency is assumed to be relatively high, so that the Hall effect is assumed to exist. The incorrect similarity transformation of Elbashbeshy and Bazid (Heat Mass Transfer 41:1–4, 2004). is corrected and a physically realistic distribution of the velocity and temperature is obtained. Using a similarity transformation the governing time dependent boundary layer equations for momentum and thermal energy are reduced to a set of coupled ordinary differential equations which are then solved numerically by the shooting method. Effects of the magnetic field, M , Hall parameter, m, and the unsteadiness parameter, S, on the velocity and temperature profiles as well as the local skin friction coefficients and the heat transfer rate are shown graphically.