Abstract
PurposeFluid flows through rotatory disks are encountered in industrial and practical engineering processes, such as computer storage devices, gas turbine rotators, rotating machinery, air cleaning machines, etc. The primary purpose of this research is to examine the combined aspects of variable electrical conductivity, thermal radiation, Soret and Dufour effects on a magnetohydrodynamic Maxwell single-walled carbon nanotubes–graphene oxide–multi-walled carbon nanotubes–copper (SWCNT–GO–MWCNT–Cu)/sodium alginate tetra-hybrid nanofluid flow through a stretchable rotatory disk.Design/methodology/approachThe modeled administrative equations of the present flow problem are converted to a non-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations by applying suitable similarity conversion and then solved numerically by implementing the bvp4c method. The impressions of noteworthy dimensionless parameters on velocity, temperature, concentration distributions, Nusselt number, skin friction and Sherwood number are reported via graphs and tables.FindingsThe authors figured out that the developed values of the rotation parameter diminish the temperature but enhance both the radial and angular velocities. Further, the mass and heat transmission rates are better for tetra-hybrid nanofluids than for ternary and hybrid nanofluids.Originality/valueThe present study emphasizes a special type of fluid called the tetra-hybrid nanofluid. The existing literature has not discussed the Maxwell tetra hybrid nanofluid flow through a stretchable rotatory disk with variable electrical conductivity. Besides, the novel aspects of magnetohydrodynamics, thermal radiation, Soret and Dufour effects are also incorporated into the present flow problem.