Thermodynamic optimization of fluid flow over an isothermal moving plate

Abstract

In this paper, entropy generation minimization (EGM) was employed in order to achieve a thermodynamic optimization of fluid flow and heat transfer over a flat plate. The basic boundary layer equations including continuity, momentum, energy, and entropy generation have been reduced to a two-point boundary value problem via similarity variables and solved numerically via Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg scheme. The novelty of this study was to consider the effects of velocity ratio λ – which represents the ratio of the wall velocity to the free stream fluid velocity – in a thermodynamic system. Focusing on the velocity ratio as a pivotal parameter, in view of minimizing the entropy generation, the optimum value of λ=λo was achieved. Moreover, considering Bejan number, it was shown that the region, in which the maximum entropy generates, gets closer to the plate as λ increases.