Thermophysical Transport of Slip Flow Past a Convective Sheet with Suspended Carbon Nanotubes Submerged in Water

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules which offer promising applications in nanotechnology due to high thermal conductivity. These carbon allotropes can be utilized as additives in various structural materials. Recent development in numerous technological and industrial sectors such as chemical bonding process, optics, and microelectronics requires a strong need to develop such hybrid fluids which are more operative in terms of heat exchange performance. Keeping in view, this study investigates the influence of velocity slip on flow of water-based carbon nanotubes over a convective vertical wall. Single and multiwall carbon nanotubes are suspended within water-based fluid. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into ordinary differential equation using appropriate similarity transformations. Transformed equations are solved numerically by means of Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method along with shooting scheme. The variation of velocity and temperature profiles is portrayed. Physical quantity of interest such as skin friction coefficient and local heat flux are determined against carbon nanotubes volume fraction, slip parameter, and Biot number. Velocity, temperature, and the local heat flux elevates with nanotubes volume fraction $$ \phi $$, or the case of single as well as multiwall carbon nanotubes.