The Effect of Thermal Parameters on the Flow Temperature of a Magnetized Plasma in a Sphere

Abstract

The effect of thermal parameters on the flow temperature of a magnetized plasma in a sphere was studied. The study models astrophysical environments such as the Sun, which have spherical outline. The governing equations of the problem were obtained based on the Navier-Stokes equations under the Boussinesq’s approximation. The solutions to the resulting equations were sought by means of the general perturbation method and the results were graphically represented with radial distance, r = 1.0 on the figures corresponding to the surface of the sphere. The thermal parameters; particularly, the radiation parameter, N2 and free convection parameter, Gr. were investigated in this study with a view to determine the effect of varying these parameters on the plasma flow temperature. Increasing both N2 and Gr. led to a decrease in the plasma flow temperature in the sphere. However, above the sphere (i.e. at radial distances, r >1.0) where the plasma density is sparse, increasing N2 and Gr. produced a corresponding increase in the plasma flow temperature. The decrease in the plasma flow temperature within the sphere with increase in the thermal parameters was observed to be more significant between radial distances, r = 0.25 and r = 0.7 (i.e., 0.25 ≤ r ≤ 0.7) than between r = 0.7 and r = 1.0 (i.e., 0.7 ≤ r ≤ 1.0). This is attributable to the prevalence of partially ionized heavy elements within 0.7 ≤ r ≤ 1.0 (corresponding to the convection zone of the solar interior) which trap the high energy photons thereby reducing the rate of radiative heat loss.