Rotating flow of Oldroyd-B fluid over stretchable surface with Cattaneo – Christov heat flux

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the heat transfer effects on the stretched flow of Oldroyd-B fluid in a rotating frame. Cattaneo–Christov heat conduction model is considered, which accounts for the influence of thermal relaxation time. Design/methodology/approach Based on scale analysis, the usual boundary layer approximations are used to simplify the governing equations. The equations so formed have been reduced to self-similar forms by similarity transformations. A powerful analytic approach, namely, homotopy analysis method (HAM), has been applied to present uniformly convergent solutions for velocity and temperature profiles. Findings Suitable values of the so-called auxiliary parameter in HAM are obtained by plotting h-curves. The results show that boundary layer thickness has an inverse relation with fluid relaxation time. The rotation parameter gives resistance to the momentum transport and enhances fluid temperature. Thermal boundary layer becomes thinner when larger values of thermal relaxation time are chosen. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to study the three-dimensional rotating flow and heat transfer of Oldroyd-B fluid.