Influence of activation energy and variable thermal conductivity on magneto-convective nonlinear thermo-radiative Casson nanofluid containing motile microorganisms over a sinusoidal surface

Abstract

The activation energy of convective-radiative nanoliquids with sinusoidal walls has garnered significant academic interest in recent years. This focus arises due to the pivotal applications of nanoparticles in thermal engineering, industrial processes, and medical sciences. This article investigates the magnetohydrodynamic heat transfer characteristics of Casson nanofluids containing microorganisms influenced by an oscillatory surface. The study incorporates temperature-dependent viscosity and utilizes Buongiorno’s mathematical model to account for nonlinear thermal radiation, Brownian motion, and thermophoretic effects from using nanomaterials in Casson fluids. These effects enhance thermal conductivity, improving the heat transportation phenomenon while considering gyrotactic microorganism density distributions. The boundary layer flow problem is formulated using partial differential equations and associated boundary conditions, subsequently numerically simulated using the bvp4c function. The investigation explores the thermal behavior of nanoparticles in the presence of bioconvection phenomena, Lorentz force, chemical reactions, and activation energy. As a result, this model addresses variable thermal conductivity and bioconvection aspects in Casson nanofluids over a sinusoidal surface. Numerically computed results for the Nusselt number, motile density, and Sherwood number provide insights into several essential features. The findings reveal that an increase in the Casson fluid parameter correlates with a decreased velocity profile. The assumptions of variable thermal conductivity and temperature-dependent viscosity prove more effective in raising the temperature of nanoparticles. The nanoparticle concentration profile rises noticeably for smaller Schmidt number Sc values when the activation energy parameter is higher than larger Sc values. Additionally, the presence of microorganisms in Casson nanofluids leads to increased temperatures due to an elevation in the bioconvection Rayleigh number. Moreover, heightened oscillating frequency parameters decrease nanoparticle concentration and microorganism density. Including activation energy and oscillating frequency parameters further enhances the understanding of nanoparticle concentration and microorganism density dynamics, offering valuable contributions to theoretical research and practical applications across multiple interdisciplinary fields.