Radiation effects on hydromagnetic free convective and mass transfer flow of a gas past a circular cylinder with uniform heat and mass flux

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the effect of combined heat and mass transfer characteristics of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) free convection flow of an electrically conducting Newtonian fluid on circular cylinder with uniform heat/mass flux, taking into consideration the effects of uniform transverse magnetic field and thermal radiation.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis is performed to study the momentum, combined heat and mass transfer characteristics of MHD free convection flow past a circular cylinder surface under the effect of thermal radiation with uniform heat and mass flux. By using Lie group method, the infinitesimal generators of governing equations are calculated. Using the resulting generators for the boundary value problem, the equations are transformed into an ordinary differential system. Numerical solutions of the outcoming non‐linear differential equations are found by using a combination of a Runge–Kutta algorithm and shooting technique.FindingsApplication of a magnetic field normal to the flow of an electrically conducting fluid gives rise to a resistive force that acts in the direction opposite to that of the flow. This resistive force tends to slow down the motion of the fluid along the cylinder and causes increases in its temperature and concentration and hence the respective changes in the wall shear stress, local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers as the magnetic parameter, respectively are changed with various values of angle which is measured in degrees from the front stagnation point on the surface. It is noted that these coefficients reduced as the magnetic parameter increases. Also, the effect of thermal radiation works as a heat source and so the quantity of heat added to the fluid increases, therefore the local Nusselt number reduced as the radiation parameter increases.Research limitations/implicationsAn analysis is performed to study the momentum, combined heat and mass transfer characteristics of MHD free convection flow of an electrically conducting Newtonian fluid on circular cylinder with uniform heat/mass flux with the effects of uniform transverse magnetic field and thermal radiation.Practical implicationsThis paper provides a very useful source of coefficient of heat and mass transfer values for engineers planning to transfer heat and mass by using electrically conducting gases with uniform heat/mass flux.Originality/valueThe combined heat and mass transfer of an electrically conducting gases on free convection flow in the presence of magneto and thermal radiation effects are investigated and can be used by different engineers working on industry, geothermal, geophysical, technological and engineering applications.