Bioconvective gyrotactic microorganisms in third-grade nanofluid flow over a Riga surface with stratification: An approach to entropy minimization

Abstract

Abstract Interest in the thermal effects of nanofluid (NF) has increased recently due to the use of nanocomposites to magnify the thermal conductivity of conventional liquids and so boost the heat transit phenomena. Based on this fundamental concept, the current study inspects the thermal advanced third-grade fluid flow with nanocomposites with an extended surface and the inclusion of stratification, non-Fourier heat flux, mass flux, and radiation. Buongiorno’s NF model is employed to observe the thermophoresis and Brownian motion properties. The gyrotactic microorganisms, which are connected to the bioconvection phenomenon that intrigues most, are also considered to be present in the nanoparticles. The governing models are composed of partial differential equations; thereafter, the relevant transformations are applied to these equations to convert the structure into an ordinary differential model. These resultant models are solved by implementing the homotopy analysis method. It is explained in detail how the pertinent parameters are affecting the motion, temperature of fluid, nanocomposite volume, dynamic microbe density, skin friction rates, local Nusselt, and local Sherwood numbers. Applications for the flow of nanoparticles carrying gyrotactic microorganisms include enzyme biosensors, microfluidic devices, microbial fuel cells, and biotechnology.