Numerical study of thermodiffusion effects on boundary layer flow of nanofluids over a power law stretching sheet

作者：Goyal Mania^*; Bhargava Rama

来源：Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 2014, 17(3): 591-604.

DOI：10.1007/s10404-013-1326-2

• Nanofluid
• Stretching sheet
• Brownian motion
• Thermophoresis
• Diffusiophoresis
• FEM

This paper deals with the triple-diffusive boundary layer flow of nanofluid over a nonlinear stretching sheet. In this model, where binary nanofluid is used, the Brownian motion, thermophoresis, and cross-diffusion are classified as the main mechanisms, which are responsible for the enhancement of the convection features of the nanofluid. The boundary layer equations governed by the partial differential equations are transformed into a set of ordinary differential equations with the help of group theory transformations, which is introduced by Blasius (The boundary layers in fluids with little friction, 1950). The variational finite element method is used to solve these ordinary differential equations. We have examined the effects of different controlling parameters, namely the Brownian motion parameter, the thermophoresis parameter, modified Dufour number, nonlinear stretching parameter, Prandtl number, regular Lewis number, Dufour Lewis number, and nanofluid Lewis number on the flow field and heat transfer characteristics. The physics of the problem is well explored for the embedded material parameters through tables and graphs. The present study has many applications in coating and suspensions, movement of biological fluids, cooling of metallic plate, melt-spinning, heat exchangers technology, and oceanography.

• 出版日期2014-9