Hybrid Nanofluid Flow Past a Shrinking Cylinder with Prescribed Surface Heat Flux

Abstract

This numerical study was devoted to examining the occurrence of non-unique solutions in boundary layer flow due to deformable surfaces (cylinder and flat plate) with the imposition of prescribed surface heat flux. The hybrid Al2O3-Cu/water nanofluid was formulated using the single phase model with respective correlations of hybrid nanofluids. The governing model was simplified by adopting a similarity transformation. The transformed differential equations were then numerically computed using the efficient bvp4c solver with the ranges of the control parameters 0.5%≤ϕ1,ϕ2≤1.5% (Al2O3 and Cu volumetric concentration), 0≤K≤0.2 (curvature parameter), 2.6<S≤3.2 (suction parameter) and −2.5<λ≤0.5 (stretching/shrinking parameter). Dual steady solutions are presentable for both a cylinder (K>0) and a flat plate (K=0) with the inclusion of only the suction (transpiration) parameter. The real and stable solutions were mathematically validated through the stability analysis. The Al2O3-Cu/water nanofluid with ϕ1=0.5% (alumina) and ϕ2=1.5% (copper) has the highest skin friction coefficient and heat transfer rate, followed by the hybrid nanofluids with volumetric concentrations (ϕ1=1%,ϕ2=1%) and (ϕ1=1.5%,ϕ2=0.5%), respectively. Surprisingly, the flat plate surface abates the separation of boundary layer while it enhances the heat transfer process.