Heat and mass transfer effects on the peristaltic flow of Sisko fluid in a curved channel

Abstract

In the present study heat and mass transfer phenomena in flow of non-Newtonian Sisko fluid induced by peristaltic activity through a curved channel have been investigated numerically using an implicit finite difference scheme. The governing equations are formulated in terms of curvilinear co-ordinates with appropriate boundary conditions. Numerically solution is carried out under long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions. The velocity field, pressure rise per wavelength, stream function, temperature, and concentration fields have been analyzed for the effects of curvature parameter, viscosity parameter, and power law index. Additionally, the computation for heat transfer coefficient and Sherwood number carried out for selected thermophysical parameters. The main results that are extracted out this study is that for strong shear-thinning biofluids (power-law rheological index, n < 1) the flow exhibits the boundary-layer character near the boundary walls. Both temperature and mass concentration are found to increase with increasing the generalized ratio of infinite shear rate viscosity to the consistency index. The amplitude of heat transfer coefficient and Sherwood number is also an increasing function of generalized ratio of infinite shear rate viscosity to the consistency index.