Impact of Shape Factor on a Couple Stress Flow of a Ternary Hybrid Nanofluid over an Inclined Flat Plate when Non-Uniform Heat Source and Thermal Radiation are Significant: A Darcy-Forchheimer Model

Abstract

Abstract The study of fluid flow over an inclined flat plate finds applications in a diverse range of engineering fields including aerodynamics, energy production and automotive design. This study theoretically investigates the steady and radiative flow of a ternary hybrid nanofluid (Water + TiO2 + CoFe2O4 + MgO) with couple stress, using the Darcy-Forchheimer model. The flow occurs through a tilted flat plate and is subjected to irregular heat source parameter and entropy generation. The problem’s equations have been transformed into a collection of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), which has been skillfully resolved using the bvp4c solver. Graphs are utilized to elucidate outcomes for two instances of shape components, namely platelet and spherical. An escalation in the couple stress parameter (S) is demonstrated to be inversely related to the fluid velocity, resulting in a drop. Specifically, when 0.5 ≤ S ≤ 3, the friction factor exhibits a decline, with rates of 0.306201851 (for Platelet shape) and 0.304466755 (for Spherical shape). An intriguing observation reveals an augmentation in the generation of entropy as the volumetric fraction of TiO 2 rises. Upon investigation, it has been determined that when the Eckert number (Ecn) increases within the range of 0 ≤ Ecn ≤ 0.3, there is a significant reduction in the Nusselt number. Specifically, the decline is measured to be 0.328685192 for the platelet shape and 0.308939422 for the spherical shape. The utility of the Forchheimer number in regulating the fluid’s motion has been unveiled.