Magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer flow of hybrid nanofluid with the thermophoresis and Brownian motion in an irregular channel: A numerical approach

Abstract

The characteristics of magnetohydrodynamics hybrid nanofluid flow in an irregular wall are explored theoretically. Since the movement of nanoparticles significantly impacts the flow, the Brownian motion and thermophoresis effect are incorporated in this investigation. The flow model is formulated through the non-dimensionalized nonlinear partial differential equations which are solved by means of the finite difference method. Using a judicial combination of quasilinearization technique and Thomas algorithm, the system of equations is solved for the velocity variation, heat transfer, and concentration of hybrid nanofluid. The range of parameters considered in the study is varied as required to obtain the physically meaningful flow situations. The present study is restricted only to positive values of the physical parameters. The wall shear stress, heat, and mass transfer gradients on the surface are also computed. The various results show that the effect of the magnetic field makes the boundary layer thinner and enhances the heat transfer rate. It is also found that the thermophoresis effect and Brownian motion are capable to reduce friction near the wavy wall. In addition, deduction in the values of the magnetic parameter, the volume fraction of nanoparticles, and amplitude of wavy wall result into enhancement in the heat transfer rate. The physical dynamics behind these interesting result is discussed in detail.