Flow and Heat Transfer of Powell–Eyring Fluid Over a Stretching Surface: A Lie Group Analysis

Abstract

In this study, the flow and heat transfer of Powell–Eyring fluid over a permeable stretching surface is examined. By using Lie group analysis, the symmetries of the equations are found. Four finite parameter and one infinite parameter Lie group of transformations are obtained. Similarity transformations for the problem are derived with help of these symmetries. The governing system of partial differential equations is transformed to a system of ordinary differential equations by using the similarity transformations. These equations are solved numerically using the Keller-box method. A comparison is performed with analytical results as well as previously published work, and an excellent agreement is observed between the results. The effects of governing parameters on the velocity and temperature profiles, the skin friction, and local Nusselt number are analyzed and discussed. It is observed that both the skin friction and local Nusselt number increase due to an increase in suction/injection parameter fw. The effects of the Prandtl number Pr, temperature power index m, and fluid parameter ε are found to increase the local Nusselt number whereas the effect of the fluid parameter δ is to decrease it. The obtained results elucidate that the skin friction reduces with increase in ε while opposite behavior is noticed for increasing values of δ.