Similarity analysis in magnetohydrodynamics: Hall effects on free convection flow and mass transfer past a semi-infinite vertical flat plate

Abstract

Heat and mass transfer along a semi-infinite vertical flat plate under the combined buoyancy force effects of thermal and species diffusion is investigated in the presence of a strong non-uniform magnetic field and the Hall currents are taken into account. The induced magnetic field due to the motion of the electrically conducting fluid is negligible. This assumption is valid for a small magnetic Reynolds number. The similarity solutions are obtained using the scale group of transformations. These are the only symmetry transformations admitted by the field equations. The non-linear boundary layer equations with the boundary conditions are transferred to a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations with the appropriate boundary conditions. Furthermore, the similarity equations are solved numerically by using a fourth order Runge–Kutta scheme with the shooting method. Numerical results for the velocity profiles, the temperature profiles and the concentration profiles are presented graphically for various values of the magnetic parameter M in the range of 0–1 with the Hall parameter m taking the values 0.5, 1, 2, and 3.