Existence of Dual Solutions and Melting Phenomenon in Unsteady Nanofluid Flow and Heat Transfer over a Stretching Surface

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe problem of unsteady boundary layer flow of a nanofluid over a stretching surface is studied. Heat transfer due to melting is analyzed. Using a similarity transformation the governing coupled nonlinear partial differential equations of the model are reduced to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, and then solved numerically by a Runge-Kutta method with a shooting technique. Dual solutions are observed numerically and their characteristics are analyzed. The effects of the pertinent parameters such as the acceleration parameter, the Brownian motion parameter, the thermophoresis parameter, the Prandtl number and the Lewis number on the velocity, temperature and concentration fields are discussed. Also the effects of these parameters on the skin friction coefficient, the Nusselt number and the Sherwood number are analyzed through graphs. It is observed that the melting phenomenon has a significant effect on the flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics.