MHD boundary-layer flow of a micropolar fluid past a wedge with constant wall heat flux

Abstract

The steady laminar magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary-layer flow past a wedge with constant surface heat flux immersed in an incompressible micropolar fluid in the presence of a variable magnetic field is investigated in this paper. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations using similarity variables, and then they are solved numerically by means of an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. Numerical results show that micropolar fluids display drag reduction and consequently reduce the heat transfer rate at the surface, compared to the Newtonian fluids. The opposite trends are observed for the effects of the magnetic field on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics.