Abstract

An analysis of thermal boundary layer in the flow of Casson fluid over a permeable shrinking sheet with variable wall temperature and thermal radiation is made. Using similarity transformations, self-similar nonlinear ODEs are obtained from the governing equations. Dual exact solutions of transformed velocity and energy equations are obtained. From the plotted results it can be observed that the temperature inside the boundary layer decreases with Casson parameter and wall mass transfer parameter in first solution and it increases in second solution. Whereas, temperature decreases for larger values of Prandtl number, radiation parameter and power-law exponent for inverse variation along the sheet in both solutions and it enhances with power-law exponent for direct variation along the surface. Also, thermal boundary layer thickness reduces with stronger thermal radiation and inverse variation of wall temperature along the surface and it becomes thicker with direct variation of wall temperature. The rate of heat transfer is less with increasing values of power-law exponent for direct variation along the sheet and for inverse variation it is higher. In graphical representation of temperature field, temperature overshoot is observed in certain cases. So, in some situations heat absorption at surface occurs instead of heat transfer from surface.

Abstract

Hall effects on an unsteady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) free convective flow of a viscous incompressible electrically conducting optically thick radiating fluid past a vertical porous plate in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field are examined. The governing equations are solved numerically using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method with the shooting technique. Effects of the pertinent parameters on the flow field, temperature distribution, shear stresses and rate of heat transfer at the plate are presented in graphs and tables followed by a quantitative discussion. The results reveal that the flow field and the temperature distribution are greatly influenced by thermal radiation parameter. Hall currents moderate the flow field significantly. Suction (or injection) has a profound effect on the boundary layer thickness in which the suction reduces the thermal boundary layer thickness whereas injection thickens it.