Numerical Investigation of MHD Boundary Layer Flow of Non-Newtonian Fluids over Different Geometries with Heat and Mass Transfer

Abstract

This research study is an extensive numerical study of steady two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary layer flows of non-Newtonian fluids over different shapes considering simultaneous heat and mass transfer. In numerous real-world problems, fluids behave in a non-Newtonian way and the presence of a magnetic field further complicates momentum and energy transport processes. The conservation equations of mass, momentum, thermal energy and concentrations of the species are reduced into a system of coupled, nonlinear ordinary differential equations by applying similarity transformations. These are then numerically solved by employing the shooting and fourth order Runge-Kutta method. An extensive parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of magnetic parameter, Prandtl number, Schmidt number, and non-Newtonian parameters on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles. It is found that a magnetic field remarkably slows down the fluid flow owing to the electromagnetic force and that the temperature is increased due to the increased energy dissipation. Additionally, the surface geometry is demonstrated to be crucial in determining the boundary layer characteristics. The results offer insights for industries like polymer processing, cooling systems, and chemical transport processes.