Magnetohydrodynamics boundary layer flow of micropolar fluid over an exponentially shrinking sheet with thermal radiation: Triple solutions and stability analysis

Abstract

The flow of electrically conducting micropolar fluid past an exponentially permeable shrinking sheet in the presence of a magnetic field and thermal radiation is studied. Similarity transformations are applied to the governing partial differential equations to form ordinary differential equations. The solution for the resultant equations, subject to boundary conditions, is then computed numerically using the bvp4c solver in MATLAB. The effects of several parameters on the local skin friction coefficient, couple stress, Nusselt number, velocity, microrotation and temperature of the fluid are analysed. Because the numerical computations for this problem result in triple solutions, stability analysis is carried out to ascertain the stability and significance of these solutions. The first solution is revealed to be stable, hence more physically meaningful than the other solutions. Meanwhile, it is found that the increase in magnetic and thermal radiation parameters reduces the fluid temperature.