Dual Solutions of Unsteady Mixed Convection Hybrid Nanofluid Flow Past a Vertical Riga Plate with Radiation Effect

Abstract

A mathematical model for the unsteady, two-dimensional mixed convection stagnation point flow over a Riga plate is presented in this study. Convective boundary conditions, time-dependent derivatives, mixed convection, radiation effects, and the Grinberg term were all incorporated into the formulation of the governing equations and boundary conditions. By incorporating similarity transformations, ordinary differential (similarity) equations (ODEs) are derived from the partial differential equations (PDEs) of the flow model. The boundary value problem of the fourth-order accuracy code (bvp4c) was implemented in MATLAB (2017b, The MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA. USA, 2017) to solve the mathematical model numerically. Due to the plate’s shrinking motion, two (dual) solutions are possible (first and second solutions). Based on the stability analysis, it was found that the first solution is stable and physically realizable in practice, while the second solution is not stable and not physically realizable in practice. It was found that the increase in the mixed convection parameter, modified Hartmann number, and unsteadiness parameter improved the hybrid nanofluid’s temperature profile. In addition, increasing the unsteadiness parameter decreased the velocity profile and the skin friction coefficient. Thus, the numerical results suggested that the augmentation of the modified Hartmann number, mixed convection parameter, and unsteadiness parameter can enhance the heat transfer performance in this flow model. This study offers valuable insight into fundamental transport phenomena such as the transmission of momentum, heat, or mass. Hence, it provides valuable information on the gradients of essential factors to control the boundary layer flow pattern.