Thermal stratification effects on mixed convective Maxwell fluid flow with variable thermal conductivity and homogeneous/heterogeneous reactions

Abstract

In this article, the magnetohydrodynamic mixed convection Maxwell fluid flow over a vertical stretching sheet with variable thickness close to a stagnation point is explored numerically. The variable thermal conductivity has been assumed for the analysis of heat transfer characteristics. Furthermore, homogeneous–heterogeneous chemical reactions and thermal stratification have also been considered in the present study. Both the assisting and the opposing flows are discussed through tables and graphs. The ordinary differential equations are obtained via suitable similarity transformations. The numerical solutions of the non-dimensional velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are obtained by employing the shooting method and examined for different physical parameters such as the thermal stratification, thermal relaxation, mixed convection, thermal conductivity, stretching ratio, homogeneous reaction and heterogeneous reaction parameters. It is found that the temperature upturns for the higher values of the Maxwell and thermal conductivity parameters. Moreover, the ascending values of the thermal stratification parameter decay the temperature profile. The local Nusselt number or the heat transfer rate at the wall is higher in the assisting flow regime as compared with the opposing flow regime.