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.     

Slip effects on unsteady stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a shrinking sheet

This paper investigates the unsteady boundary layer stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a linearly shrinking sheet in the presence of velocity and thermal slips. Similarity solutions for the transformed governing equations are obtained and the reduced equations are then solved numerically using fourth order Runge-Kutta method with shooting technique. The numerical results show that multiple solutions exist for certain range of the ratio of shrinking velocity to the free stream velocity (i.e., α) which again depend on the unsteadiness parameter β and the velocity slip parameter (i.e., δ). An enhancement of the velocity slip parameter δ causes more increment in the existence range of similarity solution. Fluid velocity at a point increases increases with the increase in the value of the velocity slip parameter δ, resulting in a decrease in the temperature field. The effects of the velocity and thermal slip parameters, unsteadiness parameter (β) and the velocity ratio parameter (α) on the velocity and temperature distributions are computed, analyzed and discussed. The reported results are in good agreement with the available published results in the literature.     

Stability of dual solutions in stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a porous shrinking sheet with thermal radiation

An analysis is carried out to study the steady two-dimensional stagnation-point flow and heat transfer of an incompressible viscous fluid over a porous shrinking sheet in the presence of thermal radiation. A set of similarity transformations reduce the boundary layer equations to a set of non-linear ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically using fourth order Runge-Kutta method with shooting technique. The analysis of the result obtained shows that as the porosity parameter β increases, the range of region of existence of similarity solution increases. It is also observed that multiple solutions exist for a certain range of the ratio of the shrinking velocity to the free stream velocity (i.e., α) which again depends on β. We then discuss the stability of the unsteady solutions about each steady solution, showing that one steady state solution corresponds to a stable solution whereas the other corresponds to an unstable solution. The stable solution corresponds to the physically relevant solution. Further we obtain numerical results for each solution, which enable us to discuss the features of the respective solutions.     

The boundary layers of an unsteady incompressible stagnation-point flow with mass transfer

In the current work, the boundary layers of an unsteady incompressible stagnation-point flow with mass transfer were further investigated. Similarity transformation technique was used and the similarity equation group was solved using numerical methods. Interesting observation is that there are multiple solutions seen for negative unsteadiness parameters, β. The influences of mass transfer, unsteadiness parameter, and Prandtl numbers on velocity and temperature profiles, wall drag, and wall heat fluxes were investigated and analyzed. The asymptotic behaviors for the similarity equations in limiting situations were theoretically analyzed. It is found that solutions exist for all mass transfer parameters for β≥−1. For a certain mass transfer parameter, there are two solutions when β_c<β<0; there is one solution for (β=β_c)∪(β≥0); there is no solution for β<β_c, where β_c is a critical unsteadiness parameter dependent on mass transfer parameter.     

Stretching surface in rotating viscoelastic fluid

The boundary layer flow over a stretching surface in a rotating viscoelastic fluid is considered. By applying a similarity transformation, the governing partial differ- ential equations are converted into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations before being solved numerically by the Keller-box method. The effects of the viscoelastic and rotation parameters on the skin friction coefficients and the velocity profiles are thor- oughly examined. The analysis reveals that the skin friction coefficients and the velocity in the x-direction increase as the viscoelastic parameter and the rotation parameter in- crease. Moreover, the velocity in the y-direction decreases as the viscoelastic parameter and the rotation parameter increase.     

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.     

Exact Solution of the Heat Transfer Problem for a Rotating Disk under Uniform Jet Impingement

An exact solution of the heat transfer problem for a uniform air stream impinging on a rotating disk is found. By introducing self-similar radial velocity and temperature profiles, the problem is reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically. The Nusselt numbers are calculated for Prandtl numbers equal to 1 and 0.71 and various ratios of the free-stream velocity to the disk rotation velocity. The limits of the flow regime in which the heat transfer is determined solely by the impact jet parameters are found. The results are compared with experimental data for the stagnation point.     

Axisymmetric stagnation flow obliquely impinging on a moving circular cylinder with uniform transpiration

Laminar stagnation flow, axisymmetrically yet obliquely impinging on a moving circular cylinder, is formulated as an exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations. Axial velocity is time‐dependent, whereas the surface transpiration is uniform and steady. The impinging free stream is steady with a strain rate k?. The governing parameters are the stagnation‐flow Reynolds number Re=k?a²/2ν, and the dimensionless transpiration S=U₀/k?a. An exact solution is obtained by reducing the Navier–Stokes equations to a system of differential equations governed by Reynolds number and the dimensionless wall transpiration rate, S. The system of Boundary Value Problems is then solved by the shooting method and by deploying a finite difference scheme as a semi‐similar solution. The results are presented for velocity similarity functions, axial shear stress and stream functions for a variety of cases. Shear stresses in all cases increase with the increase in Reynolds number and suction rate. The effect of different parameters on the deflection of viscous stagnation circle is also determined. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Utilization of Maxwell-Cattaneo law for MHD swirling flow through oscillatory disk subject to porous medium

The present study aims to investigate the salient features of incompressible,hydromagnetic, three-dimensional flow of viscous fluid subject to the oscillatory motion of a disk. The rotating disk is contained in a porous medium. Furthermore, a time-invariant version of the Maxwell-Cattaneo law is implemented in the energy equation. The flow problem is normalized by obtaining similarity variables. The resulting nonlinear system is solved numerically using the successive over-relaxation method. The main results are discussed through graphical representations and tables. It is perceived that the thermal relaxation time parameter decreases the temperature curves and increases the heat transfer rate. The oscillatory curves for the velocity field demonstrate a decreasing tendency with the increasing porosity parameter values. Two-and three-dimensional flow phenomena are also shown through graphical results.     

Dual solutions in MHD stagnation-point flow of Prandtl fluid impinging on shrinking sheet

The present article investigates the dual nature of the solution of the magneto- hydrodynamic （MHD） stagnation-point flow of a Prandtl fluid model towards a shrinking surface. The self-similar nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically by the shooting： method. It is found that the dual solutions of the flow exist for cer- tain values of tile velocity ratio parameter. The special case of the first branch solutions （the classical Newtonian fluid model） is compared with the present numerical results of stretching flow. The results are found to be in good agreement. It is also shown that the boundary layer thickness for the second solution is thicker than that for the first solution.     

Oscillatory flow due to eccentrically rotating porous disk and a fluid at infinity

An analytical solution of the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations is obtained for the flow due to non-coaxial rotations of an oscillating porous disk and a fluid at infinity, rotating about an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the disk through a fixed point. The velocity distributions and the shear stresses at the disk are obtained for three different cases when the frequency parameter is greater than, equal to or less than the rotation parameter. The flow has a boundary layer structure even in the case of blowing at the disk.     

MHD mixed convection stagnation-point flow of a nanofluid over a vertical permeable surface: a comprehensive report of dual solutions

The steady laminar magnetohydrodynamic mixed convection boundary layer flow of a nanofluid near the stagnation-point on a vertical permeable plate with prescribed external flow and surface temperature is investigated in this study. Here, both assisting and opposing flows are considered and studied. Using appropriate similarity variables, the governing equations are transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations in the dimensionless stream function, which is solved numerically using the Runge–Kutta scheme coupled with a conventional shooting procedure. Three different types of nanoparticles, namely copper Cu, alumina Al₂O₃ and titania TiO₂ with water as the base fluid are considered. Numerical results are obtained for the skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number as well as for the velocity and temperature profiles for some values of the governing parameters, namely, the volume fraction of nanoparticles ?, permeability parameter f _o , magnetic parameter M and mixed convection parameter λ. It is found that dual solutions exist for both assisting and opposing flows, and the range of the mixed convection parameter for which the solution exists, increases with suction, magnetic field and volume fraction of nanoparticles.     

Magnetohydrodynamic flow past a shrinking vertical sheet in a dusty hybrid nanofluid with thermal radiation

The magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) mixed convection flow past a shrinking vertical sheet with thermal radiation is considered. Besides, the effects of Cu-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles and dust particles are considered. The similarity variables reduce the governing equations to the similarity equations, which are then solved numerically. The outcome shows that, for the shrinking case, the solutions are not unique. The rate of heat transfer and the friction factor enlarge with increasing the...     

Numerical Analysis for the Bingham—Papanastasiou Fluid Flow Over a Rotating Disk

This study is conducted to investigate the Bingham—Papanastasiou fluid flow driven by a rotating infinite disk. The Bingham—Papanastasiou model is a modification of the Bingham plastic model, which is developed by introducing a continuation parameter to overcome its discontinuity. The von K´armán similarity solution is used to transform the flow equations from ordinary differential equations to a nonlinear system of partial differential equations, which is solved numerically. The effect of the Bingham flow parameters on the radial, tangential, and axial velocities, pressure, and radial and tangential skin friction coefficients is discussed.     

MHD rotating flow of a viscous fluid over a shrinking surface

This study is concerned with the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) rotating boundary layer flow of a viscous fluid caused by the shrinking surface. Homotopy analysis method (HAM) is employed for the analytic solution. The similarity transformations have been used for reducing the partial differential equations into a system of two coupled ordinary differential equations. The series solution of the obtained system is developed and convergence of the results are explicitly given. The effects of the parameters M, s and λ on the velocity fields are presented graphically and discussed. It is worth mentioning here that for the shrinking surface the stable and convergent solutions are possible only for MHD flows.     

MHD stagnation point flow of a micropolar fluid towards a heated surface

The problem of two dimensional stagnation point flow of an electrically conducting micropolar fluid impinging normally on a heated surface in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field is analyzed. The governing continuity, momentum, angular momentum, and heat equations together with the associated boundary conditions are reduced to dimensionless form using suitable similarity transformations. The reduced self similar non-linear equations are then solved numerically by an algorithm based on the finite difference discretization. The results are further refined by Richardson’s extrapolation. The effects of the magnetic parameter, the micropolar parameters, and the Prandtl number on the flow and temperature fields are predicted in tabular and graphical forms to show the important features of the solution. The study shows that the velocity and thermal boundary layers become thinner as the magnetic parameter is increased. The micropolar fluids display more reduction in shear stress as well as heat transfer rate than that exhibited by Newtonian fluids, which is beneficial in the flow and thermal control of polymeric processing.     

Computational study of combined effects of conduction-radiation and hydromagnetics on natural convection flow past magnetized permeable plate

The computational study of the combined effects of radiation and hydromagnetics on the natural convection flow of a viscous,incompressible,and electrically conducting fluid past a magnetized permeable vertical plate is presented.The governing non-similar equations are numerically solved by using a finite difference method for all values of the suction parameter ξ and the asymptotic solution for small and large values of ξ.The effects of varying the Prandtl number P r,the magnetic Prandtl number P r m,the magnetic force parameter S,the radiation parameter R d,and the surface temperature θ w on the coefficients of the skin friction,the rate of heat transfer,and the current density are shown graphically and in tables.An attempt is made to examine the effects of the above mentioned physical parameters on the velocity profile,the temperature distribution,and the transverse component of the magnetic field.     

Rotational flow of Oldroyd-B nanofluid subject to Cattaneo-Christov double diffusion theory

A nanofluid is composed of a base fluid component and nanoparticles, in which the nanoparticles are dispersed in the base fluid. The addition of nanoparticles into a base fluid can remarkably improve the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid, and such an increment of thermal conductivity can play an important role in improving the heat transfer rate of the base fluid. Further, the dynamics of non-Newtonian fluids along with nanoparticles is quite interesting with numerous industrial applications. The present predominately predictive modeling studies the flow of the viscoelastic Oldroyd-B fluid over a rotating disk in the presence of nanoparticles. A progressive amendment in the heat and concentration equations is made by exploiting the Cattaneo-Christov heat and mass flux expressions. The characteristic of the Lorentz force due to the magnetic field applied normal to the disk is studied. The Buongiorno model together with the Cattaneo-Christov theory is implemented in the Oldroyd-B nanofluid flow to investigate the heat and mass transport mechanism. This theory predicts the characteristics of the fluid thermal and solutal relaxation time on the boundary layer flow. The von K′arm′an similarity functions are utilized to convert the partial differential equations(PDEs) into ordinary differential equations(ODEs). A homotopic approach for obtaining the analytical solutions to the governing nonlinear problem is carried out. The graphical results are obtained for the velocity field, temperature, and concentration distributions. Comparisons are made for a limiting case between the numerical and analytical solutions, and the results are found in good agreement. The results reveal that the thermal and solutal relaxation time parameters diminish the temperature and concentration distributions, respectively. The axial flow decreases in the downward direction for higher values of the retardation time parameter. The impact of the thermophoresis parameter boosts the temperature distribution.     

MHD flow and heat transfer of a UCM fluid over a stretching surface with variable thermophysical properties

In this paper we investigate the effects of temperature-dependent viscosity, thermal conductivity and internal heat generation/absorption on the MHD flow and heat transfer of a non-Newtonian UCM fluid over a stretching sheet. The governing partial differential equations are first transformed into coupled non-linear ordinary differential equation using a similarity transformation. The resulting intricate coupled non-linear boundary value problem is solved numerically by a second order finite difference scheme known as Keller-Box method for various values of the pertinent parameters. Numerical computations are performed for two different cases namely, zero and non-zero values of the fluid viscosity parameter. That is, 1/?? _r ??0 and 1/?? _r ??0 to get the effects of the magnetic field and the Maxwell parameter on the velocity and temperature fields, for several physical situations. Comparisons with previously published works are presented as special cases. Numerical results for the skin-friction co-efficient and the Nusselt number with changes in the Maxwell parameter and the fluid viscosity parameter are tabulated for different values of the pertinent parameters. The results obtained for the flow characteristics reveal many interesting behaviors that warrant further study on the non-Newtonian fluid phenomena, especially the UCM fluid phenomena. Maxwell fluid reduces the wall-shear stress.     

Self-similar solution of the unsteady mixed convection flow in the stagnation point region of a rotating sphere

An analysis is performed to present a new self-similar solution of unsteady mixed convection boundary layer flow in the forward stagnation point region of a rotating sphere where the free stream velocity and the angular velocity of the rotating sphere vary continuously with time. It is shown that a self-similar solution is possible when the free stream velocity varies inversely with time. Both constant wall temperature and constant heat flux conditions have been considered in the present study. The system of ordinary differential equations governing the flow have been solved numerically using an implicit finite difference scheme in combination with a quasilinearization technique. It is observed that the surface shear stresses and the surface heat transfer parameters increase with the acceleration and rotation parameters. For a certain value of the acceleration parameter, the surface shear stress in x-direction vanishes and due to further reduction in the value of the acceleration parameter, reverse flow occurs in the x–component of the velocity profiles. The effect of buoyancy parameter is to increase the surface heat transfer rate for buoyancy assisting flow and to decrease it for buoyancy opposing flow. For a fixed buoyancy force, heating by constant heat flux yields a higher value of surface heat transfer rate than heating by constant wall temperature.