A Similarity Solution for Natural Convection Flow near a Vertical Plate with Thermal Radiation

Abstract

This paper examined the fluid transport on boundary layer near a vertical wall with thermal radiation effect. The coupled nonlinear partial differential equations are reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations through similarity transformation. The resultant system of ordinary differential equations is integrated with maple software using RKF45 method. The effect of the active parameters such as Grashof number, thermal radiation parameter, temperature difference, Prandtl number, and local convective heat transfer parameter on the velocity profile, skin friction, temperature profile and Nusselt number are presented using graphs and tables. The outcome of the study revealed that the Prandtl number has a decreasing effect on thermal boundary layer thickness. It also revealed that the thermal radiation has an increasing effect on the Nusselt number, temperature distribution, temperature gradient and skin friction. The temperature distribution increases with increasing values of the temperature difference and local convective heat transfer parameter whereas decreases with Grashof number.