Numerical Analysis of Boundary Layer Flow Adjacent to a Thin Needle in Nanofluid with the Presence of Heat Source and Chemical Reaction

Abstract

The steady boundary layer flow of a nanofluid past a thin needle under the influences of heat generation and chemical reaction is analyzed in the present work. The mathematical model has been formulated by using Buongiornos’s nanofluid model which incorporates the effect of the Brownian motion and thermophoretic diffusion. The governing coupled partial differential equations are transformed into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations by using appropriate similarity transformations. These equations are then computed numerically through MATLAB software using the implemented package called bvp4c. The influences of various parameters such as Brownian motion, thermophoresis, velocity ratio, needle thickness, heat generation and chemical reaction parameters on the flow, heat and mass characteristics are investigated. The physical characteristics which include the skin friction, heat and mass transfers, velocity, temperature and concentration are further elaborated with the variation of governing parameters and presented through graphs. It is observed that the multiple (dual) solutions are likely to exist when the needle moves against the direction of the fluid flow. It is also noticed that the reduction in needle thickness contributes to the enlargement of the region of the dual solutions. The determination of the stable solution has been done using a stability analysis. The results indicate that the upper branch solutions are linearly stable, while the lower branch solutions are linearly unstable. The study also revealed that the rate of heat transfer is a decreasing function of heat generation parameter, while the rate of mass transfer is an increasing function of heat generation and chemical reaction parameters.