Magneto-Convective Transport of Nanofluid in a Vertical Lid-Driven Cavity Including a Heat-Conducting Rotating Circular Cylinder

Abstract

Numerical simulations are performed for the two-dimensional magneto-convective transport of Cu–H2O nanofluid in a vertical lid-driven square cavity in the presence of a heat-conducting and rotating circular cylinder. The left wall of the cavity is allowed to translate at a constant velocity in the vertically upward direction. Both left and right walls are maintained at isothermal but different temperatures. The top and bottom walls of the enclosure are thermally insulated. At the central region of the cavity is a heat-conducting circular cylinder which can rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise. A constant horizontal magnetic field of amplitude B0 is applied perpendicular to the vertical walls. The nanofluid is electrically conducting, while the solid walls are considered electrically insulated. Simulations are performed for various controlling parameters, such as Richardson number (0.01 ≤ Ri ≤ 10), Hartmann number (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 50), dimensionless rotational speed of the cylinder (Ω = ±1), and nanoparticle concentration (0 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.3), while Reynolds number based on lid velocity is fixed at a specific value (Re = 100). The flow and thermal fields are found to be susceptible to changes in the magnetic field and mixed convective strength, as well as nanoparticle concentration. However, the direction of cylinder rotation is observed to have little or no influence quantitatively on global hydrodynamic and thermal parameters.