Effects of viscous dissipation on a power-law fluid over plate embedded in a porous medium

The present study is devoted to investigate the influences of viscous dissipation on buoyancy induced flow over a horizontal or a vertical flat plate embedded in a non-Newtonian fluid saturated porous medium. The Ostwald-de Waele power-law model is used to characterize the non-Newtonian fluid behavior. Similarity solutions for the transformed governing equations are obtained with prescribed variable surface temperature (PT) or with prescribed variable surface heat flux (PHF) for the horizontal plate case. While, the similarity solutions are obtained with prescribed variable surface heat flux for the vertical plate case. Different similar transformations, for each case, are used. Numerical results for the details of the velocity and temperature profiles are shown on graphs. Nusselt number associated with temperature distributions and excess surface temperature associated with heat flux distributions which are entered in tables have been presented for different values of the power-law index n and the exponent as well as Eckert number.     

Analysing flow and heat transfer of a viscoelastic fluid over a semi-infinite horizontal moving flat plate

This paper presents a numerical study of the flow and heat transfer of an incompressible homogeneous second grade type fluid above a flat plate moving with constant velocity U. Such a viscoelastic fluid is at rest and the motion is created by the sheet. The effects of the non-Newtonian nature of the fluid are governed by the local Deborah number K (the ratio between the relaxation time of the fluid and the characteristic time of the flow). When , a new analytical solution for this flow is presented and the effects of fluid's elasticity on flow characteristics, dimensionless stream function and its derivatives are analysed in a wide domain of K. A novel result of the analysis is that a change in the flow solution's behaviour occurs when the dimensionless stream function at the edge of the boundary layer, f_∞, equals 1.0. It is found that velocity at a point decreases with increase in the elasticity of the fluid and, as expected, the amount of fluid entrained diminishes when the effects of fluid's elasticity are augmented. In our heat transfer analyses we assume that the surface temperature has a power-law variation. Two cases are studied, namely, (i) the sheet with prescribed surface temperature (PST case) and (ii) the sheet with prescribed heat flux (PHF case). Local similarity heat-transfer solutions are given for PST case when s=2 (the wall temperature parameter) whereas when a similarity solution takes place in the case of prescribed wall heat flux. The numerical results obtained are fairly in good agreement with the aforementioned analytical ones.     

GPU accelerated simulations of three-dimensional flow of power-law fluids in a driven cube

Newtonian fluid flow in two- and three-dimensional cavities with a moving wall has been studied extensively in a number of previous works. However, relatively a fewer number of studies have considered the motion of non-Newtonian fluids such as shear thinning and shear thickening power law fluids. In this paper, we have simulated the three-dimensional, non-Newtonian flow of a power law fluid in a cubic cavity driven by shear from the top wall. We have used an in-house developed fractional step code, implemented on a Graphics Processor Unit. Three Reynolds numbers have been studied with power law index set to 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5. The flow patterns, viscosity distributions and velocity profiles are presented for Reynolds numbers of 100, 400 and 1000. All three Reynolds numbers are found to yield steady state flows. Tabulated values of velocity are given for the nine cases studied, including the Newtonian cases.     

MHD boundary layer equations for power-law fluids with variable electric conductivity

The boundary layer in a power-law fluid flowing in the presence of a transverse variable magnetic field is investigated. Assuming the electric conductivity of the fluid is dependent on its velocity, Meksyn's method is used to get an analytical solution for the velocity field and the coefficient of friction. The effect of the magnetic field is then discussed.

---

Sommario Lo scopo di questo lavoro è di studiare lo strato limite laminare con relazione costitutiva a legge di potenza bidimensionale di un fluido non-newttoniano incompressibile elettroconduttore che scorre lungo una parete piana in presenza di un campo magnetico trasversale e di una pressione esterna. La conducibilità elettrica del fluido viene assunta come funzione della velocità nella forma =₀ u, dove ₀ è costante eu è la velocità del flusso parallela alla parete. L'equazione base è stata risolta applicando il metodo di Meksyn per ottenere una soluzione analitica per la velocità ed il coefficiente di attrito. Viene inoltre discusso l'effetto del campo magnetico e la variazione della conducibilità elettrica.

     

Comment on “Analysing flow and heat transfer of a viscoelastic fluid over a semi-infinite horizontal moving flat plate, IJNLM, 43 (2008) 772”

In this report we make corrections to a paper by Rafael Cortell (IJNLM, 43 (2008) 772). In this paper (IJNLM, 43 (2008) 772) the author considered an incorrect equation (by including a wrong term instead of correct term) for his considered flow and heat transfer problem and reported unrealistic results as a consequence. In this communication we have considered the correct equation (replacing the incorrect term by correct one) and solved it analytically. Our analysis shows that the unrealistic behavior as observed by Cortell (IJNLM, 43 (2008) 772) persists no more if one considers the correct term.     

MHD flow of power-law fluid on moving surface with power-law velocity and special injection/blowing

The problem of magnetohydrodynamic （MHD） flow on a moving surface with the power-law velocity and special injection/blowing is investigated. A scaling group transformation is used to reduce the governing equations to a system of ordinary differen- tial equations. The skin friction coefficients of the MHD boundary layer flow are derived, and the approximate solutions of the flow characteristics are obtained with the homotopy analysis method （HAM）. The approximate solutions are easily computed by use of a high order iterative procedure, and the effects of the power-law index, the magnetic parameter, and the special suction/blowing parameter on the dynamics are analyzed. The obtained results are compared with the numerical results published in the literature, verifying the reliability of the approximate solutions.     

Waves on the surface of a falling power-law fluid film

Waves that occur at the surface of a falling film of thin power-law fluid on a vertical plane are investigated. Using the method of integral relations an evolution equation is derived for two types of waves equation which are possible under long wave approximation. This equation reveals the presence of both kinematic and dynamic wave processes which may either act together or singularly dominate the wave field depending on the order of different parameters. It is shown that, at a small flow rate, kinematic waves dominate the flow field and the energy is acquired from the mean flow during the interaction of the waves, while, for high flow rate, inertial waves dominate and the energy comes from the kinematic waves. It is also found that this exchange of energy between kinematic and inertial waves strongly depends on the power-law index n. Linear stability analysis predicts the contribution of different terms in the wave mechanism. Further, it is found that the surface tension plays a double role: for a kinematic wave process, it exerts dissipative effects so that a finite amplitude case may be established, but for a dynamic wave process it yields dispersion. Further, it is shown that the non-Newtonian character n plays a vital role in controlling the role of the term that contains surface tension in the above processes.     

Flow pattern transition,pressure gradient,hold-up predictions in gas/non-Newtonian power-law fluid stratified flow

This work focuses on gas/non-Newtonian power-law fluid stratified pipe flow. Two different theoretical approaches to obtain pressure gradient and hold-up predictions are presented: the steady fully developed two-fluid model and the pre-integrated model. The theoretical predictions are compared with experimental data available for horizontal and for slightly downward inclined air/shear thinning fluid stratified flow taken from literature. The predictions of the pre-integrated model are validated showing a good agreement when compared with experimental data. The criteria for the transition from the stratified flow pattern are applied to gas/non-Newtonian stratified flow. The neutral stability analysis (smooth/wavy stratified flow) and the well-posedness (existence region of stratified flow) of governing equations are carry out. The predicted transition boundaries are obtained using the steady fully developed two-fluid model and the pre-integrated model, where the shape factors and their derivatives are accounted for. A comparison between the predicted boundaries and experimental flow pattern maps is presented and shows a good agreement. A comment on the shear stress modeling by the pre-integrated model is provided.     

MHD Flow and heat transfer of non-Newtonian power-law fluid with diffusion and chemical reaction on a moving cylinder

The problem of flow and heat transfer of an electrically conducting non-Newtonian fluid over a continuously moving cylinder in the presence of a uniform magnetic field is analyzed for the case of power-law variation in the temperature and concentration at the cylinder surface. A diffusion equation with a chemical reaction source term is taken into account. The governing non-similar partial differential equation are solved numerically by employing shooting method. The effects of various parameters on the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles as well as the heat and mass transfer rate from the cylinder surface to the surrounding fluid are presented graphically and in tabulated form.     

Unsteady flow of a fourth-grade fluid due to an oscillating plate

The governing non-linear high-order, sixth-order in space and third-order in time, differential equation is constructed for the unsteady flow of an incompressible conducting fourth-grade fluid in a semi-infinite domain. The unsteady flow is induced by a periodically oscillating two-dimensional infinite porous plate with suction/blowing, located in a uniform magnetic field. It is shown that by augmenting additional boundary conditions at infinity based on asymptotic structures and transforming the semi-infinite physical space to a bounded computational domain by means of a coordinate transformation, it is possible to obtain numerical solutions of the non-linear magnetohydrodynamic equation. In particular, due to the unsymmetry of the boundary conditions, in numerical simulations non-central difference schemes are constructed and employed to approximate the emerging higher-order spatial derivatives. Effects of material parameters, uniform suction or blowing past the porous plate, exerted magnetic field and oscillation frequency of the plate on the time-dependent flow, especially on the boundary layer structure near the plate, are numerically analysed and discussed. The flow behaviour of the fourth-grade non-Newtonian fluid is also compared with those of the Newtonian fluid.     

Simplified lattice Boltzmann method for non-Newtonian power-law fluid flows

In this paper, we present a simplified lattice Boltzmann method for non-Newtonian power-law fluid flows. The new method adopts the predictor-corrector scheme and reconstructs solutions to the macroscopic equations recovered from the lattice Boltzmann equation through Chapman-Enskog expansion analysis. The truncated power-law model is incorporated into this method to locally adjust the physical viscosity and the associated relaxation parameter, which recovers the non-Newtonian behaviors. Compared with existing non-Newtonian lattice Boltzmann models, the proposed method directly evolves the macroscopic variables instead of the distribution functions, which eliminates the intrinsic drawbacks like high cost in virtual memory and inconvenient implementation of physical boundary conditions. The validity of the method is demonstrated by benchmark tests and comparisons with analytical solution or numerical results in the literature. Benchmark solutions to the three-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow of non-Newtonian power-law fluid are also provided for future reference.     

Exact and numerical solutions of a fully developed generalized second-grade incompressible fluid with power-law temperature-dependent viscosity

We compute exact and numerical solutions of a fully developed flow of a generalized second-grade fluid, with power-law temperature-dependent viscosity (μ=θ^-M), down an inclined plane. Analytical solutions are found for the case when M=m+1, m≠1, m being a constant that models shear thinning (m<0) or shear thickening (m>0). The exact solutions are given in terms of Bessel functions. The numerical solutions indicate that both the velocity and the temperature increase with decreasing Froude number and that there is a critical value of Fr below which temperature “overshoots” its free surface value of unity. This phenomena is not reported in the work of Massoudi and Phuoc [Fully developed flow of a modified second grade fluid with temperature dependent viscosity, Acta Mech. 150 (2001) 23-37.] for viscosity that depends exponentially on temperature.     

Exact solution to peristaltic transport of power-law fluid in asymmetric channel with compliant walls

Effects of compliant wall properties on the peristaltic flow of a non-Newtonian fluid in an asymmetric channel are investigated.The rheological characteristics are characterized by the constitutive equations of a power-law fluid.Long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximations are adopted in the presentation of mathematical developments.Exact solutions are established for the stream function and velocity.The streamlines pattern and trapping are given due attention.Salient features of the key parameters entering into the present flow are displayed and important conclusions are pointed out.     

Effect of thermal conductivity on heat transfer for a power-law non-Newtonian fluid over a continuous stretched surface with various injection parameters

The two-dimensional non-Newtonian steady flow on a power-law stretched surface with suction or injection is studied. Thermal conductivity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. The transformed governing equations in the present study are solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta method. Through a comparison, results for a special case of the problem show excellent agreement with those in a previous work. Two cases are considered, one corresponding to a cooled surface temperature and the other to a uniform surface temperature. Numerical results show that the thermal conductivity variation parameter, the injection parameter, and the power-law index have significant influences on the temperature profiles and the Nusselt number.     

Impulsive motion of a flat plate in a Rivlin-Ericksen fluid

The problem of the impulsive motion of a flat plate in a Rivlin-Ericksen fluid is reconsidered. An exact solution for the velocity distribution is found in terms of a definite integral. It is shown that a solution obtained earlier does not satisfy the boundary condition at the plate in the sense of generalized functions.     

Squeeze flow of a power-law fluid between two rigid spheres with wall slip

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅｓｑｕｅｅｚｅｆｌｏｗｏｆａｆｌｕｉｄｂｅｔｗｅｅｎｔｗｏｄｉｓｋｓｏｒｓｐｈｅｒｅｓｉｓｏｆｒｅｌｅｖａｎｃｅｔｏｍａｎｙａｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎｓ,ｉｎｃｌｕｄｉｎｇｔｈｅｆｏｒｍｉｎｇｏｆｐｏｌｙｍｅｒｍａｔｅｒｉａｌｓ ,ｓｑｕｅｅｚｅｆｌｏｗｒｈｅｏｍｅｔｅｒａｎｄｌｕｂｒｉｃａｔｉｏｎｏｆｂｅａｒｉｎｇｓ.Ｔｈｅｓｑｕｅｅｚｅｆｌｏｗｉｎｔｅｒａｃｔｉｏｎｂｅｔｗｅｅｎｓｏｌｉｄｐａｒｔｉｃｌｅｓｉｓａｌｓｏｆｕｎｄａｍｅｎｔａｌｔｏｔｈｅｃｏｍｐｌｅｘｒｈｅ…     

Boundary-layer flow of Reiner–Philippoff fluids past a stretching wedge

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the steady boundary-layer flow of a Reiner–Philippoff fluid induced by a 90° stretching wedge in a variable free stream. The governing partial differential equations are converted into a set of two ordinary differential equations by the use of a similarity transformation. The flow is therefore governed by a stretching velocity parameter λ and two non-Newtonian fluid parameters γ and μ₀. The variation of the skin friction, as well as other flow characteristics, as a function of the governing parameters is presented graphically and tabulated. A stability analysis has also been performed for this self-similar flow based on linear disturbances to the steady similarity solutions. The results presented in this paper reveal that there are no multiple (dual) solutions for the present problem and the unique solution is stable.     

Effects of suction or blowing on the velocity and temperature distribution in the flow past a porous flat plate of a power-law fluid

An analysis is made of the steady flow of a non-Newtonian fluid past an infinite porous flat plate subject to suction or blowing. The incompressible fluid obeys Ostwald-de Waele power-law model. It is shown that steady solutions for velocity distribution exist only for a pseudoplastic (shear-thinning) fluid for which the power-law index n satisfies 0<n<1 provided that there is suction at the plate. Velocity at a point is found to increase with increase in n. No steady solution for velocity distribution exists when there is blowing at the plate. The solution of the energy equation governing temperature distribution in the flow of a pseudoplastic fluid past an infinite porous plate subject to uniform suction reveals that temperature at a given point near the plate increases with n but further away, temperature decreases with increase in n. A novel result of the analysis is that both the skin-friction and the heat flux at the plate are independent of n.     

Mixed convection boundary-layer flow over a vertical surface embedded in a porous medium

In this paper we have numerically investigated the existence and uniqueness of a vertically flowing fluid passed a model of a thin vertical fin in a saturated porous media. We have assumed the two-dimensional mixed convection from a fin, which is modelled as a fixed, semi-infinite vertical surface, embedded in a fluid-saturated porous media under the boundary-layer approximation. We have taken the temperature, in excess of the constant temperature in the ambient fluid on the fin, to vary as  , where is measured from the leading edge of the plate and λ is a fixed constant. The Rayleigh number is assumed to be large so that the boundary-layer approximation may be made and the fluid velocity at the edge of the boundary-layer is assumed to vary as . The problem then depends on two parameters, namely λ and , the ratio of the Rayleigh to Péclet numbers. It is found that when λ>0 (<0) there are (is) dual (unique) solution(s) when is grater than some negative values of (which depends on λ). When λ<0 there is a range of negative value of (which depends on λ) for which dual solutions exist and for both λ>0 and λ<0 there is a negative value of (which depends on λ) for which there is no solution. Finally, solutions for 0<1 and 1 have been obtained.     

Entrance pressure losses for power-law fluid at small Reynolds number

Finite-element results are presented for the extra pressure loss for a power-law fluid due to an abrupt contraction of ratio 2, 4, 8 and for both the axisymmetric and planar cases. Contrary to earlier results in the literature, it is found that the variational result of Duda and Vrentas forms a very good upper bound for the axisymmetric case, even for small values of the power-law index. This variational method has now been extended to the planar case, where it is again found to form a very good upper bound.