Influence of magnetic dipole on ferrohydrodynamic thin film flow over an inclined spinning surface

Abstract

This study investigates the three-dimensional problem of steady ferrofluid deposition on an inclined rotating surface in the presence of a magnetic dipole. A finite element procedure is used to solve normalized ordinary differential equations derived from momentum and energy equations. The current numerical model and its solution is compared and validated against previous numerical results. The velocity and temperature field variations are a representation of the effects of magnetic field-based viscosity, magnetic polarization force, Curie temperature, and Prandtl number. In addition, some common errors in the similarity transformation for inclined rotating disk flows are addressed in the present study. The results show that the magnetic field-dependent viscosity generated by the magnetic torque in the current flow reduces the velocity of the thin film liquid in all directions, including rotational flow (radial, tangential, and axial) and inclined flow (drainage and induced). Moreover, the local heat transfer between the fluid and the surface of the rotating disk increases with a rise in the ferromagnetic interaction number and Prandtl number. These findings imply that ferrofluids could be effective for cooling electronic devices in the presence of a magnetic dipole.