Mixed convection boundary layer flow on a continuous flat plate with variable viscosity

The influences of variable viscosity and buoyancy force on laminar boundary layer flow and heat transfer due to a continuous flat plate are examined. The deviation of the velocity and temperature fields as well as of the skin friction and heat transfer results from their constant values are determined by means of similarity solutions.     

Steady mixed convection boundary layer flow over a vertical flat plate in a porous medium filled with water at 4°C: case of variable wall temperature

The problem of steady mixed convection boundary layer flow over a vertical impermeable flat plate in a porous medium saturated with water at 4°C (maximum density) when the temperature of the plate varies as x ^m and the velocity outside boundary layer varies as x ^{2 m} , where x measures the distance from the leading edge of the plate and m is a constant is studied. Both cases of the assisting and the opposing flows are considered. The plate is aligned parallel to a free stream velocity U _∞ oriented in the upward or downward direction, while the ambient temperature is T _∞ = T _m (temperature at maximum density). The mathematical models for this problem are formulated, analyzed and simplified, and further transformed into non-dimensional form using non-dimensional variables. Next, the system of governing partial differential equations is transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations using the similarity variables. The resulting system of ordinary differential equations is solved numerically using a finite-difference method known as the Keller-box scheme. Numerical results for the non-dimensional skin friction or shear stress, wall heat transfer, as well as the temperature profiles are obtained and discussed for different values of the mixed convection parameter λ and the power index m. All the numerical solutions are presented in the form of tables and figures. The results show that solutions are possible for large values of λ and m for the case of assisting flow. Dual solutions occurred for the case of opposing flow with limited admissible values of λ and m. In addition, separation of boundary layers occurred for opposing flow, and separation is delayed for the case of water at 4°C (maximum density) compared to water at normal temperature.     

Boundary layer flow and heat transfer past a stretching plate with variable thermal conductivity

In the present paper, the boundary layer flow of viscous incompressible fluid over a stretching plate has been considered to solve heat flow problem with variable thermal conductivity. First, using similarity transformation, the components of velocity have been obtained. Then, the heat flow problem has been considered in two ways: (i) prescribed surface temperature (PST), and (ii) prescribed stretching plate heat flux (PHF) in case of variable thermal conductivity. Due to variable thermal conductivity, temperature profile has its two part—one mean temperature and other temperature profile induced due to variable thermal conductivity. The related results have been discussed with the help of graphs.     

Steady mixed convection boundary-layer flow over a vertical flat surface in a porous medium filled with water at 4°C: variable surface heat flux

The steady mixed convection boundary-layer flow over a vertical impermeable surface in a porous medium saturated with water at 4°C (maximum density) when the surface heat flux varies as x ^m and the velocity outside the boundary layer varies as x ^(1+2m)/2, where x measures the distance from the leading edge, is discussed. Assisting and opposing flows are considered with numerical solutions of the governing equations being obtained for general values of the flow parameters. For opposing flows, there are dual solutions when the mixed convection parameter λ is greater than some critical value λ _c (dependent on the power-law index m). For assisting flows, solutions are possible for all values of λ. A lower bound on m is found, m > −1 being required for solutions. The nature of the critical point λ _c is considered as well as various limiting forms; the forced convection limit (λ = 0), the free convection limit (λ → ∞) and the limits as m → ∞ and as m → −1.     

Effect of variable viscosity on non-Darcy free or mixed convection flow on a vertical surface in a fluid saturated porous medium

This paper analyzes the variable viscosity effects on non-Darcy free or mixed convection flow on a vertical surface in a fluid saturated porous medium. The viscosity of the fluid is assumed to be a inverse linear function of temperature. Velocity and heat transfer are found to be significantly affected by the variable viscosity parameter, Ergun number, Peclet number or Rayleigh number.     

Mixed convection boundary layer flow of non-Newtonian fluids along vertical wavy plates

Mixed convection boundary layer flows of non-Newtonian fluids over the wavy surfaces are studied by the coordinate transformation and the cubic spline collocation numerical method. The effects of the wavy geometry, the buoyancy parameter and the generalized Prandtl number for pseudoplastic fluids, Newtonian fluids and dilatant fluids on the skin-friction coefficient, local and mean Nusselt numbers have been graphically studied. Results show that both higher generalized Prandtl numbers and buoyancy parameters are seen to enhance the influence of wavy surfaces on the local Nusselt number, irrespective of whether the fluids are Newtonian fluids or non-Newtonian fluids. Moreover, the irregular surfaces have higher total heat flux than that of corresponding flats plate for any fluid.     

The Prandtl number effect near the onset of Bénard convection in a porous medium

This note focuses on Kladias and Prasad's claim that the critical Rayleigh number for the onset of Bénard convection in an infinite horizontal porous layer increases as the Prandtl number decreases, and argues that the critical Rayleigh number (Ra_c) depends only on the Darcy number (Da), as linear stability analysis indicates. The two-dimensional steady-convection problem is then solved numerically to document the convection heat transfer effect of the Rayleigh number, Darcy number, Prandtl number, and porosity. The note concludes with an empirical correlation for the overall Nusselt number, which shows the effect of Prandtl number at above-critical Rayleigh numbers. The correlation is consistent with the corresponding correlation known for Bénard convection in a pure fluid.     

Heat transfer enhancement in a turbulent natural convection boundary layer along a vertical flat plate

An experimental study on heat transfer enhancement for a turbulent natural convection boundary layer in air along a vertical flat plate has been performed by inserting a long flat plate in the spanwise direction (simple heat transfer promoter) and short flat plates aligned in the spanwise direction (split heat transfer promoter) with clearances into the near-wall region of the boundary layer. For a simple heat transfer promoter, the heat transfer coefficients increase by a peak value of approximately 37% in the downstream region of the promoter compared with those in the usual turbulent natural convection boundary layer. It is found from flow visualization and simultaneous measurements of the flow and thermal fields with hot- and cold-wires that such increase of heat transfer coefficients is mainly caused by the deflection of flows toward the outer region of the boundary layer and the invasion of low-temperature fluids from the outer region to the near-wall region with large-scale vortex motions riding out the promoter. However, heat transfer coefficients for a split heat transfer promoter exhibit an increase in peak value of approximately 60% in the downstream region of the promoter. Flow visualization and PIV measurements show that such remarkable heat transfer enhancement is attributed to longitudinal vortices generated by flows passing through the clearances of the promoter in addition to large-scale vortex motions riding out the promoter. Consequently, it is concluded that heat transfer enhancement of the turbulent natural convection boundary layer can be substantially achieved in a wide area of the turbulent natural convection boundary layer by employing multiple column split heat transfer promoters. It may be expected that the heat transfer enhancement in excess of approximately 40% can be accomplished by inserting such promoters.     

Forced convection in tightly coiled ducts: Bifurcation in a high Dean number region

The present numerical study is on the fully developed bifurcation structure of forced convection in a tightly coiled duct of square cross-section and curvature ratio of 0.5 in a high Dean number region. Ten solution branches, two symmetric and eight asymmetric, are found. Among them, one symmetric branch and seven asymmetric branches have not been reported in the literature. On these new branches, the flow has a structural 2-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- or 8-cell. The mean friction factor and Nusselt number are different on various solution branches. In tightly coiled ducts, the secondary flow enhances the heat transfer more significantly than the friction increase.     

Effect of variable viscosity on boundary layer flow along a continuously moving plate with variable surface temperature

Flow of an incompressible viscous fluid past a continuously moving semi-infinite plate is studied by taking into account variable viscosity and variable temperature. Velocity and temperature profiles are shown graphically whereas the numerical values of the skin-friction and the rate of heat transfer are listed in a table. The effect of different parameters on the flow field is discussed.     

MHD forced convection boundary layer flow with a flat plate and porous substrate

The flow and heat transfer for an electrically conducting fluid with a porous substrate and a flat plate under the influence of magnetic field is considered. The magnetic field is assumed to be uniform and also along normal to the surface. The momentum and energy equations are transformed to ordinary differential equations by using suitable similarity transformation and are solved by standard techniques. But the energy equation is solved by considering two boundary layers, one in the porous substrate and the other above the porous substrate. Numerical results are presented through graphs with various values of magnetic parameter for both velocity and thermal boundary layers along with Nusselt number and for various values of Prandtl number and Eckert number in thermal boundary layer.     

Effect of Hall current on MHD mixed convection boundary layer flow over a stretched vertical flat plate

In this paper, the steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection boundary layer flow of an incompressible, viscous and electrically conducting fluid over a stretching vertical flat plate is theoretically investigated with Hall effects taken into account. The governing equations are solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. The effects of the magnetic parameter, the Hall parameter and the buoyancy parameter on the velocity profiles, the cross flow velocity profiles and the temperature profiles are presented graphically and discussed. Investigated results indicate that the Hall effect on the temperature is small, and the magnetic field and Hall currents produce opposite effects on the shear stress and the heat transfer at the stretching surface.     

Mixed convection heat transfer over a non-linear stretching surface with variable fluid properties

This article presents a numerical solution for the steady two-dimensional mixed convection MHD flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid over a vertical stretching sheet, in its own plane. The stretching velocity and the transverse magnetic field are assumed to vary as a power function of the distance from the origin. The temperature dependent fluid properties, namely, the fluid viscosity and the thermal conductivity are assumed to vary, respectively, as an inverse function of the temperature and a linear function of the temperature. A generalized similarity transformation is introduced to study the influence of temperature dependent fluid properties. The transformed boundary layer equations are solved numerically, using a finite difference scheme known as Keller Box method, for several sets of values of the physical parameters, namely, the stretching parameter, the temperature dependent viscosity parameter, the magnetic parameter, the mixed convection parameter, the temperature dependent thermal conductivity parameter and the Prandtl number. The numerical results thus obtained for the flow and heat transfer characteristics reveal many interesting behaviors. These behaviors warrant further study of the effects of the physical parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics. Here it may be noted that, in the case of the classical Navier-Stokes fluid flowing past a horizontal stretching sheet, McLeod and Rajagopal (1987) [42] showed that there exist an unique solution to the problem. This may not be true in the present case. Hence we would like to explore the non-uniqueness of the solution and present the findings in the subsequent paper.     

Laminar assisting mixed convection heat transfer from a vertical isothermal plate to water with variable physical properties

The steady laminar boundary layer flow, with an external force, along a vertical isothermal plate is studied in this paper. The external force may be produced either by the motion of the plate or by a free stream. The fluid is water whose density-temperature relationship is non-linear at low temperatures and viscosity and thermal conductivity are functions of temperature. The results are obtained with the numerical solution of the boundary layer equations with , k and variable across the boundary layer. Both upward and downward flow is considered. It was found that the variation of , k and with temperature has a strong influence on mixed convection characteristics.Nomenclature c_p water specific heat - f dimensionless stream function - g gravitational acceleration - Gr_x local Grashof number - k thermal conductivity - Nu_x local Nusselt number - Pr Prandtl number - Pr_a ambient Prandtl number - Re_x local Reynolds number - s salinity - T water temperature - T_a ambient water temperature - T_o plate temperature - u vertical velocity - u_a free stream velocity - u_o plate velocity - v horizontal velocity - x vertical coordinate - y horizontal coordinate - pseudo-similarity variable - nondimensional temperature - dynamic viscosity - _f film dynamic viscosity - _o dynamic viscosity at plate surface - kinematic viscosity - buoyancy parameter - water density - _a ambient water density - _f film water density - _o water density at plate surface - physical stream function     

Mixed convection boundary layer flow of a viscoelastic fluid over a horizontal circular cylinder

The steady mixed convection boundary layer flow of a viscoelastic fluid over a horizontal circular cylinder in a stream flowing vertically upwards is numerically studied for both cases of heated and cooled cylinders. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into dimensionless forms using an appropriate transformation and then solved numerically using the Keller-box method. The comparison between the solutions obtained and those for a Newtonian fluid is found to be very good. Effects of the mixed convection and elasticity parameters on the skin friction and heat transfer coefficients for a fluid having the Prandtl number equal to one are also discussed. It is found that for some values of the viscoelastic parameter and some negative values of the mixed convection parameter (opposing flow) the 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. However, for a sufficiently cold cylinder there will not be a boundary layer.     

A new approach on MHD natural convection boundary layer flow past a flat plate of finite dimensions

A new approach on MHD natural convection boundary layer flow from a finite flat plate of arbitrary inclination in a rotating environment, is presented. This problem plays a significant role on boundary layer flow control. It is shown that taking into account the pressure rise region at the leading edge of the plate leads to avoid separation and the back flow is reduced by the strong magnetic field. It is also shown that the frictional drag at the leading edge of the plate is reduced when the inclination angle α=π/4. In the case of isothermal flat plate, the bulk temperature becomes identical for any value of Gr (Grashof number) when the value of M ² (Hartmann number) and K ² (rotation parameter) are kept fixed.     

Thermocapillary flow and natural convection in a melt column with an unknown melt/solid interface

A vertical melt column set up between an upper heating rod and a lower sample rod, i.e. the so-called halfzone system, is a convenient experimental tool for studying convection in the melt in floating-zone crystal growth. In order to help understand the convection observed in the melt column, a computer model has been developed to describe steady state, axisymmetrical thermocapillary flow and natural convection in the melt. The governing equations and boundary conditions are expressed in general non-orthogonal curvilinear co-ordinates in order to accurately treat the unknown melt/solid interface as well as all other physical boundaries in the system. The effects of key dimensionless variables on the following items are discussed: (1)convection and temperature distribution in the melt; (2) the shape of the melt/solid interface; (3) the height of the melt column. These dimensionless variables are the Grashof, Marangoni and Prandtl numbers.     

Mixed convection flow over a vertical plate with localized heating (cooling), magnetic field and suction (injection)

An analysis is carried out to study the effects of localized heating (cooling), suction (injection), buoyancy forces and magnetic field for the mixed convection flow on a heated vertical plate. The localized heating or cooling introduces a finite discontinuity in the mathematical formulation of the problem and increases its complexity. In order to overcome this difficulty, a non-uniform distribution of wall temperature is taken at finite sections of the plate. The nonlinear coupled parabolic partial differential equations governing the flow have been solved by using an implicit finite-difference scheme. The effect of the localized heating or cooling is found to be very significant on the heat transfer, but its effect on the skin friction is comparatively small. The buoyancy, magnetic and suction parameters increase the skin friction and heat transfer. The positive buoyancy force (beyond a certain value) causes an overshoot in the velocity profiles.A mass transfer constant - B magnetic field - C_fx skin friction coefficient in the x-direction - C_p specific heat at constant pressure, kJ.kg^–1.K - C_v specific heat at constant volume, kJ.kg^–1.K^–1 - E electric field - g acceleration due to gravity, 9.81 m.s^–2 - Gr Grashof number - h heat transfer coefficient, W.m².K^–1 - Ha Hartmann number - k thermal conductivity, W.m^–1.K - L characteristic length, m - M magnetic parameter - Nu_x local Nusselt number - p pressure, Pa, N.m^–2 - Pr Prandtl number - q heat flux, W.m^–2 - Re Reynolds number - Re_m magnetic Reynolds number - T temperature, K - T_o constant plate temperature, K - u,v velocity components, m.s^–1 - V characteristic velocity, m.s^–1 - x,y Cartesian coordinates - thermal diffusivity, m².s^–1 - coefficient of thermal expansion, K^–1 - , transformed similarity variables - dynamic viscosity, kg.m^–1.s^–1 - ₀ magnetic permeability - kinematic viscosity, m².s^–1 - density, kg.m^–3 - buoyancy parameter - electrical conductivity - stream function, m².s^–1 - dimensionless constant - dimensionless temperature, K - w, conditions at the wall and at infinity