Sensitivity analysis of nonlinear convective heat transport of a hybrid nanoliquid sandwiched by micropolar liquid using RSM

Abstract

Petroleum and polymer industries utilize a multilayer flow model for efficient heat transfer. In such applications, the linear Boussinesq approximation is not recommended as the devices used in such experiments would work at moderate or extremely high temperatures. Therefore, the flow and heat transfer in a multilayer vertical channel with a magnetic field and the nonlinear (quadratic) Boussinesq approximation are investigated, with the central region filled with a hybrid nanoliquid and the outer regions filled with an oil-based micropolar liquid. The effects of Joule heating and viscous dissipation are taken into account. The effective viscosity and thermal conductivity are modeled using the experimental data based Esfe model. The modeled equations are coupled and nonlinear, they are solved using the Differential Transform Method (DTM). Results are analyzed for various values of the material parameter, quadratic convection parameter, Brinkman number, mixed convection parameter, Hartmann number, nanoparticle volume fraction (NVF) on Nusselt number, skin friction, velocity, microrotation velocity and temperature distributions. Additionally, multi-objective optimization of Nusselt number and friction factor is performed for three different levels of the quadratic convection parameter , material parameter and the NVF using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The material parameter diminishes the velocity whereas enhances the microrotation velocity. Also, the quadratic convection parameter increases the flow field. Sensitivity computations reveal that the Nusselt number is more sensitive to material parameter and NVF whereas the skin friction coefficient is more sensitive to quadratic convection parameter.