A Novel Version of HPM Coupled with the PSEM Method for Solving the Blasius Problem

Abstract

This work studies the nonlinear differential equation that models the Blasius problem (BP) which is of great importance in fluid dynamics. The aim is to obtain an approximate analytical expression that adequately describes the phenomenon considered. To find such approximation, we propose a new method denominated powered homotopy perturbation (PHPM). Unlike HPM algorithm, the successive integration process generated by PHPM will consider zero the constants of integration in each approximation, except the last one. In the same way, PHPM will propose an adequate initial trial function provided of some unknown parameters in such a way that it will not evaluate the initial conditions in the iterations of the process; therefore, this set of parameters will be employed with the purpose of adjusting in the best accurate way the proposed approximation at the final part of the process. As a matter of fact, we will note from this analysis that the proposed solution is compact and easy to evaluate and involves a sum of five exponential functions plus a linear part of two terms, which is ideal for practical applications. With the purpose to get a better approximation, we find useful to combine PHPM with the power series extender method (PSEM) which implies to add to the PHPM solution one rational function with parameters to adjust. From this proposal, we find an approximate solution competitive with others from the literature.