Numerical simulation of micropolar fluid flow along a flat plate with wall conduction and buoyancy effects

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of mixed convection in a micropolar fluid flowing along a vertical flat plate with conduction effects. The governing non-linear equations and their associated boundary conditions are first cast into dimensionless forms by a local non-similar transformation. The resulting equations are then solved using the cubic spline collocation method and the finite difference scheme. This study examines the effects of the buoyancy parameter, the conjugate heat transfer parameter, the micropolar parameter and the Prandtl number on the flow and the thermal fields. The results show that the conjugate heat transfer parameter has a significant influence on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics. The buoyancy parameter reduces the solid–liquid interfacial temperature but increases the skin friction factor and the local heat transfer rate. The effect of wall conduction on the local heat transfer rate, interfacial temperature and skin friction factor is found to be more pronounced in a system with a greater buoyancy effect. Finally, compared with the case of pure forced convection, a reduction in the interfacial temperature, an increase in the skin friction factor and an increase in the local heat transfer rate are obtained in the current mixed convection case.