Exploring thermal diffusion and diffusion-thermal energy in MHD Maxwell fluid flow around a stretching cylinder

Abstract

This study carries significant importance in its exploration of the consequences of thermal diffusion and diffusion-thermal energy on a Maxwell fluid near a stretching cylinder. It also considers the influence of Brownian motion and thermophoresis, alongside examining the impact of the Prandtl number and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and radiation into the analysis. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the impact of thermal diffusion, diffusion-thermal energy, and various influencing factors on a Maxwell fluid near a stretching cylinder. This investigation aimed to shed light on the behavior of critical parameters, particularly in the presence of Brownian motion, thermophoresis, and variations in the Prandtl number. Additionally, this study sought to adapt a Bvp4c inbuilt software in MATLAB to solve the governing equations, enabling the visualization of velocity, energy, and concentration contours. This study mainly investigated the results for the mentioned parameters for both flat plate (Curvature parameter αc = 0) and cylinder (αc = 1) on temperature, concentration, and velocity profiles. The major conclusions drawn from this study are the concentration profiles exhibited opposing behaviors as thermophoresis, Brownian motion and the Dufour effect increased. However, the temperature profile increases for these parameters. Secondly, concentration displayed an increasing behavior as the Soret number increased.