Effects of Stefan Blowing and Slip Conditions on Unsteady MHD Casson Nanofluid Flow Over an Unsteady Shrinking Sheet: Dual Solutions

Abstract

In this article, the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of Casson nanofluid with thermal radiation over an unsteady shrinking surface is investigated. The equation of momentum is derived from the Navier–Stokes model for non-Newtonian fluid where components of the viscous terms are symmetric. The effect of Stefan blowing with partial slip conditions of velocity, concentration, and temperature on the velocity, concentration, and temperature distributions is also taken into account. The modeled equations of partial differential equations (PDEs) are transformed into the equivalent boundary value problems (BVPs) of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by employing similarity transformations. These similarity transformations can be obtained by using symmetry analysis. The resultant BVPs are reduced into initial value problems (IVPs) by using the shooting method and then solved by using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta (RK) technique. The numerical results reveal that dual solutions exist in some ranges of different physical parameters such as unsteadiness and suction/injection parameters. The thickness of the velocity boundary layer is enhanced in the second solution by increasing the magnetic and velocity slip factor effect in the boundary layer. Increment in the Prandtl number and Brownian motion parameter is caused by a reduction of the thickness of the thermal boundary layer and temperature. Moreover, stability analysis performed by employing the three-stage Lobatto IIIA formula in the BVP4C solver with the help of MATLAB software reveals that only the first solution is stable and physically realizable.