Free Convection MHD Couette Flow with Application of Periodic Temperature and Constant Heat Flux on Walls

Abstract

Numerical analysis and analytical solution were performed to study the free convection in transient Couette flow of an electrically conducting fluid confined between two vertical parallel plates. Constant heat flux on the wall with uniform vertical motion in its own plane and periodic temperature on the stationary wall were applied. The dimensionless governing momentum and energy equations are solved numerically using a fully implicit finite difference method. An analytical solution using eigenfunction expansion method is carried out for temperature profile in case of constant plate temperature. Analytical and numerical results converge at a satisfactory degree. The effect of different physical parameters on the transient velocity and temperature, such as Grashof’s number (Gr), magnetic parameter (M), Prandtl number (Pr) and temperature frequency are also studied. It is found that the velocity increases with an increase in Gr and temperature frequency, while it decreases with an increase in Pr and M.