Magneto-nanofluid flow with heat transfer past a stretching surface for the new heat flux model using numerical approach

Abstract

Purpose Sheet processing of magnetic nanomaterials is emerging as a new branch of smart materials’ manufacturing. The efficient production of such materials combines many physical phenomena including magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), nanoscale, thermal and mass diffusion effects. To improve the understanding of complex inter-disciplinary transport phenomena in such systems, mathematical models provide a robust approach. Motivated by this, this study aims to develop a mathematical model for steady, laminar, MHD, incompressible nanofluid flow, heat and mass transfer from a stretching sheet. Design/methodology/approach This study developed a mathematical model for steady, laminar, MHD, incompressible nanofluid flow, heat and mass transfer from a stretching sheet. A uniform constant-strength magnetic field is applied transversely to the stretching flow plane. The Buongiorno nanofluid model is used to represent thermophoretic and Brownian motion effects. A non-Fourier (Cattaneo–Christov) model is used to simulate thermal conduction effects, of which the Fourier model is a special case when thermal relaxation effects are neglected. Findings The governing conservation equations are rendered dimensionless with suitable scaling transformations. The emerging nonlinear boundary value problem is solved with a fourth-order Runge–Kutta algorithm and also shooting quadrature. Validation is achieved with earlier non-magnetic and forced convection flow studies. The influence of key thermophysical parameters, e.g. Hartmann magnetic number, thermal Grashof number, thermal relaxation time parameter, Schmidt number, thermophoresis parameter, Prandtl number and Brownian motion number on velocity, skin friction, temperature, Nusselt number, Sherwood number and nanoparticle concentration distributions, is investigated. Originality/value A strong elevation in temperature accompanies an increase in Brownian motion parameter, whereas increasing magnetic parameter is found to reduce heat transfer rate at the wall (Nusselt number). Nanoparticle volume fraction is observed to be strongly suppressed with greater thermal Grashof number, Schmidt number and thermophoresis parameter, whereas it is elevated significantly with greater Brownian motion parameter. Higher temperatures are achieved with greater thermal relaxation time values, i.e. the non-Fourier model predicts greater values for temperature than the classical Fourier model.