Temperature-dependent Fluid Viscosity Research Articles

Lie group analysis of flow and heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluid over a stretching surface with convective boundary condition

The steady two-dimensional flow and heat transfer of a non-Newtonian power-law nanofluid over a stretching surface under convective boundary conditions and temperature-dependent fluid viscosity has been numerically investigated. The power-law rheology is adopted to describe non-Newtonian characteristics of the flow. Four different types of nanoparticles, namely copper (Cu), silver (Ag), alumina (Al 2 O 3) and titanium oxide (TiO 2) are considered by using sodium alginate (SA) as the base non-Newtonian fluid. Lie symmetry group transformations are used to convert the boundary layer equations into non-linear ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are solved numerically by using a shooting method with fourth-order Runge–Kutta integration scheme. The results show that the effect of viscosity on the heat transfer rate is remarkable only for relatively strong convective heating. Moreover, the skin friction coefficient and the rate of heat transfer increase with an increase in Biot number.

Melting heat and mass transfer in stagnation point micropolar fluid flow of temperature dependent fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity at constant vortex viscosity

Abstract Steady mixed convection micropolar fluid flow towards stagnation point formed on horizontal linearly stretchable melting surface is studied. The vortex viscosity of micropolar fluid along a melting surface is proposed as a constant function of temperature while dynamic viscosity and thermal conductivity are temperature dependent due to the influence of internal heat source on the fluid. Similarity transformations were used to convert the governing equation into non-linear ODE and solved numerically. A parametric study is conducted. An analysis of the results obtained shows that the flow-field is influenced appreciably by heat source, melting, velocity ratio, variable viscosity and thermal conductivity.

A transient free convection study with temperature-dependent viscosity in a square cavity with a local heat source

Unsteady natural convection inside of a differentially-heated square enclosure filled with a fluid of temperature-dependent viscosity has been numerically studied. A mathematical model formulated in the dimensionless stream function and vorticity has been solved by a finite difference method of the second order accuracy. The effect of dimensionless time and Prandtl number on streamlines and isotherms has been investigated for Ra = 105. The results clearly demonstrate an evolution of fluid flow and heat transfer in the case of variable viscosity fluid.

Evolution of the interior of Mercury influenced by coupled magmatism-mantle convection system and heat flux from the core

To discuss mantle evolution in Mercury, I present two-dimensional numerical models of magmatism in a convecting mantle. Thermal, compositional, and magmatic buoyancy drives convection of temperature-dependent viscosity fluid in a rectangular box placed on the top of the core that is modeled as a heat bath of uniform temperature. Magmatism occurs as a permeable flow of basaltic magma generated by decompression melting through a matrix. Widespread magmatism caused by high initial temperature of the mantle and the core makes the mantle compositionally stratified within the first several hundred million years of the 4.5 Gyr calculated history. The stratified structure persists for 4.5 Gyr, when the reference mantle viscosity at 1573 K is higher than around 1020 Pa s. The planet thermally contracts by an amount comparable to the one suggested for Mercury over the past 4 Gyr. Mantle upwelling, however, generates magma only for the first 0.1–0.3 Gyr. At lower mantle viscosity, in contrast, a positive feedback between magmatism and mantle upwelling operates to cause episodic magmatism that continues for the first 0.3–0.8 Gyr. Convective current stirs the mantle and eventually dissolves its stratified structure to enhance heat flow from the core and temporarily resurrect magmatism depending on the core size. These models, however, predict larger contraction of the planet. Coupling between magmatism and mantle convection plays key roles in mantle evolution, and the difficulty in numerically reproducing the history of magmatism of Mercury without causing too large radial contraction of the planet warrants further exploration of this coupling.

Effect of temperature dependent viscosity on the thermal instability of two-dimensional stagnation point flow

This paper presents numerical study of thermal instability of a two-dimensional stagnation point flow when the fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. Similarity transformation was used to reduce the partial differential boundary layer equations to a non linear system of coupled ordinary differential equations before solving it numerically using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method with shooting technique. The linear stability of the basic flow to three-dimensional disturbances is then investigated by making use of the normal mode decomposition within the Gortler-Hammerlin framework. The equations of linear stability theory create an eigenvalue problem which is solved numerically by means of a pseudo spectral collocation method using Laguerre’s polynomials. The numerical experiment reveals that temperature-dependent viscosity affects significantly the onset of thermal instability. It is found that the increase in the temperature-dependent fluid viscosity acts to increase the stability of the basic flow.

Sheet-like and plume-like thermal flow in a spherical convection experiment performed under microgravity

AbstractWe introduce, in spherical geometry, experiments on electro-hydrodynamic driven Rayleigh–Bénard convection that have been performed for both temperature-independent (‘GeoFlow I’) and temperature-dependent fluid viscosity properties (‘GeoFlow II’) with a measured viscosity contrast up to 1.5. To set up a self-gravitating force field, we use a high-voltage potential between the inner and outer boundaries and a dielectric insulating liquid; the experiments were performed under microgravity conditions on the International Space Station. We further run numerical simulations in three-dimensional spherical geometry to reproduce the results obtained in the ‘GeoFlow’ experiments. We use Wollaston prism shearing interferometry for flow visualization – an optical method producing fringe pattern images. The flow patterns differ between our two experiments. In ‘GeoFlow I’, we see a sheet-like thermal flow. In this case convection patterns have been successfully reproduced by three-dimensional numerical simulations using two different and independently developed codes. In contrast, in ‘GeoFlow II’, we obtain plume-like structures. Interestingly, numerical simulations do not yield this type of solution for the low viscosity contrast realized in the experiment. However, using a viscosity contrast of two orders of magnitude or higher, we can reproduce the patterns obtained in the ‘GeoFlow II’ experiment, from which we conclude that nonlinear effects shift the effective viscosity ratio.

Nusselt number and friction factor in thermally stratified turbulent channel flow under Non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq conditions

In stably stratified turbulence, computations under Oberbeck–Boussinesq (OB) hypothesis of temperature-independent fluid properties may lead to inaccurate representation of the flow field and to wrong estimates of momentum/heat transfer coefficients. This is clearly assessed here comparing direct numerical simulations of stratified turbulence under OB conditions to simulations under NOB (Non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq) conditions of temperature-dependent fluid viscosity and thermal expansion coefficient. Compared to the OB case, NOB conditions may induce local flow relaminarization with significant variations (up to 30%) of heat and momentum transfer coefficients. Together with DNS results, we propose a phenomenological model (based on turbulent bursts) for heat transfer prediction in stratified turbulence under OB and NOB conditions. Implications of NOB assumptions on mixing efficiency (i.e. flux Richardson number Rif) and turbulent Prandtl number (Prt) are also discussed. These results are of specific importance in RANS modelling, where the condition Prt=1 is usually assumed (Reynolds analogy). Although this assumption is valid in some situations (i.e. boundary layer, pipe flow) there is uncertainty about its validity for stably-stratified turbulence. We demonstrate that this assumption is inaccurate when NOB effects become significant.

Effects of thermal radiation and variable fluid viscosity on stagnation point flow past a porous stretching sheet

Similarity analysis is performed to investigate the structure of the boundary layer stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a stretching sheet subject to suction. Fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. Thermal radiation term is considered in the energy equation. The symmetry groups admitted by the corresponding boundary value problem are obtained by using a special form of Lie group transformations viz. scaling group of transformations. With the help of them the partial differential equations corresponding to momentum and energy equations are transformed into highly non-linear ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by shooting method. It is found that the horizontal velocity increases with the increasing values of the ratio of the free stream velocity to the stretching velocity. Velocity increases with the increasing temperature dependent fluid viscosity parameter when the free-stream velocity is less than the stretching velocity but opposite behavior is noted when the free-stream velocity is greater than the stretching velocity. Due to suction, fluid velocity decreases at a particular point of the surface. Temperature at a point of the surface is found to decrease with increasing thermal radiation.

A Numerical Investigation of MHD Plane Stagnation Flow of Temperature Dependent Viscosity Fluid

The objective of this study is to carry out a numerical investigation of the MHD plane stagnation flow of a temperature dependent viscosity fluid. The system of governing partial differential equations was transformed into a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations by the method of similarity transformations. These resulting equations were then solved using the classical fourth order Runge-Kutta method together with shooting techniques. The effects of the relevant thermo-physical parameters on the flow profile were investigated. The skin friction coefficient and Nusselt num- bers were also determined numerically and tabulated.

Influence of thermophoresis and chemical reaction on MHD micropolar fluid flow with variable fluid properties

This work investigates the effect of thermophoresis and chemical reaction on heat and mass transfer in hydromagnetic micropolar fluid flow over an inclined permeable plate with constant heat flux and non-uniform heat source/sink in the presence of thermal radiation. It is assumed that the transverse magnetic field is a function of the distance from the origin. The analysis accounts for both temperature dependent fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity. Using the similarity transformation, the governing system of equations are transformed into non-linear ordinary differential equations and are solved numerically using symbolic software MATHEMATICA. Numerical results for the velocity, microrotation, temperature and species concentration as well as for the skin friction, heat and mass transfer are obtained and displayed graphically for pertinent parameters to show interesting aspects of the solution.

Optical Tweezers-Assisted Cross-Correlation Analysis for a Non-intrusive Fluid Temperature Measurement in Microdomains

An image-based approach to predict the fluid temperature in microfluidic flow cell is presented. We apply Fourier-based cross-correlation processing to determine the lateral displacement of the optically trapped bead; therefore, both the mean square displacement (MSD) and the diffusion coefficient (D) can be obtained. On the other hand, applying the Stokes–Einstein equation, together with Faxen's law correction, the theoretical relation showed that D is proportional to (T/η), where T and η are temperature and temperature-dependent fluid viscosity, respectively. Hence, the fluid temperature can be determined by MSD-based thermometry.

Effects of variable fluid properties on natural convection of MHD fluid from a heated vertical wavy surface

In the present paper, the influence of temperature-dependent fluid properties, density, viscosity and thermal conductivity on MHD natural convection flow from a heated vertical wavy surface is studied. It is assumed that, the fluid density and the thermal conductivity vary as exponential and linear functions of temperature, respectively. However, the fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a reciprocal of a linear function of temperature. The model analysis used here is more relevant to liquid flow. Using the appropriate variables, the wavy surface are transformed into a flat one. The transformed boundary layer equations are solved numerically, using implicit-Chebyshev pseudospectral method, for several sets of values of the physical parameters, namely, the temperature dependent fluid properties parameters, the magnetic parameter, the amplitude-wavelength ratio parameter, and the Prandtl number. The numerical values obtained for the velocity, temperature, shearing stress, and the Nusselt number are presented through graphs and tables for several sets of values of the parameters. The effects of the physical parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics are discussed. The results were compared with numerical solutions of previous works. The present results are found to be in good agreement.

Effects of variable fluid viscosity on flow past a heated stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium in presence of heat source/sink

The boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a fluid through a porous medium towards a stretching sheet in presence of heat generation or absorption is considered in this analysis. Fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. The symmetry groups admitted by the corresponding boundary value problem are obtained by using a special form of Lie group transformations viz. scaling group of transformations. These transformations are used to convert the partial differential equations corresponding to the momentum and the energy equations into highly non-linear ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by shooting method. It is found that the horizontal velocity decreases with increasing temperature-dependent fluid viscosity parameter up to the crossing-over point but increases after that point and the temperature decreases in this case. With the increase of permeability parameter of the porous medium the fluid velocity decreases but the temperature increases at a particular point of the sheet. Effects of Prandtl number on the velocity boundary layer and on the thermal boundary layer are studied and plotted.

Scaling group transformation on fluid flow with variable stream conditions

Thermophoresis particle deposition with chemical reaction on Magnetohydrodynamic flow of an electrically conducting fluid over a porous stretching sheet in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field with variable stream conditions is investigated using scaling group transformation. Starting from Navier–Stokes equations and using scaling group transformations, the governing equations are obtained in the form of differential equations. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. It is found that the decrease in the temperature-dependent fluid viscosity makes the velocity to decrease with the increasing distance of the stretching sheet. At a particular point of the sheet the fluid velocity decreases with the decreasing viscosity but the temperature increases in this case. Impact of thermophoresis particle deposition in the presence of chemical reaction plays an important role on the concentration boundary layer. The results thus obtained are presented graphically and discussed.

The developing heat transfer and fluid flow in micro-channel heat sink with viscous heating effect

The numerical modeling of the conjugate heat transfer and fluid flow through the micro-heat sink was presented in the paper, considering the viscous dissipation effect. Three different fluids with temperature dependent fluid viscosity are considered: water, dielectric fluid HFE-7600 and isopropanol. The square shape of the cross-section is considered with Dh = 50 μm with a channel length L = 50 mm. As most of the reported researches dealt with fully developed fluid flow and constant fluid properties in this paper the thermal and hydro-dynamic developing laminar fluid flow is analyzed. Two different heat transfer conditions are considered: heating and cooling at various Br. The influence of the viscous heating on local Nu and Po is analyzed. It was shown that for a given geometry the local Po and Nu numbers are strongly affected by the viscous heating. Moreover the Po number attains the fully developed value as the external heating is equal with the internal viscous heating.

Group analysis for the effects of the temperature-dependent fluid viscosity and chemical reaction on free convective heat and mass transfer

A group analysis has been carried out to study heat and mass transfer characteristics of an incompressible Newtonian fluid having a temperature-dependent viscosity over a vertical stretching surface in the presence of thermal radiation and a chemical reaction. The Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The vertical surface is assumed to be permeable so as to allow for possible wall suction or injection. The governing differential equations are derived and transformed using the Lie group analysis. The transformed equations are solved numerically by applying the Runge—Kutta—Gill scheme with the shooting technique. Favorable comparisons with previously published works on various special cases of the problem are obtained

Lie group analysis for thermal-diffusion and diffusion-thermo effects on free convective flow over a porous stretching surface with variable stream conditions in the presence of thermophoresis particle deposition

A study has been carried out to obtain the solutions for heat and mass transfer from natural convection flow along a vertical surface with temperature-dependent fluid viscosity embedded in a porous medium due to thermal-diffusion (Soret) and diffusion-thermo (Dufour) effects. This paper concerns with a steady two-dimensional flow of incompressible fluid over a vertical stretching sheet. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. A scaling group of transformations is applied to the governing equations. The impact of thermophoresis particle deposition with chemical reaction in the presence of thermal-diffusion and diffusion-thermo effects plays an important role on the temperature and concentration boundary layer. The results thus obtained are presented graphically and discussed.

Effects of non-uniform heating on a variable viscosity Rayleigh–Bénard problem

This study presents a natural convection problem with a temperature-dependent viscosity fluid, driven by buoyancy and influenced by horizontal temperature gradients. A numerical linear stability analysis of the stationary solutions is studied. The horizontal temperature gradients tend to localize motion near the warmer zones and favour pattern formation in the direction perpendicular to the gradient. In fact, the problem is almost 2D in the uniform heating case, but becomes totally 3D in the non-uniform heating case.

Lie group analysis for the effect of temperature-dependent fluid viscosity and thermophoresis particle deposition on free convective heat and mass transfer under variable stream conditions

This paper examines a steady two-dimensional flow of incompressible fluid over a vertical stretching sheet. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. A scaling group of transformations is applied to the governing equations. The system remains invariant due to some relations among the transformation parameters. After finding three absolute invariants, a third-order ordinary differential equation corresponding to the momentum equation and two second-order ordinary differential equations corresponding to energy and diffusion equations are derived. The equations along with the boundary conditions are solved numerically. It is found that the decrease in the temperature-dependent fluid viscosity makes the velocity decrease with the increasing distance of the stretching sheet. At a particular point of the sheet, the fluid velocity decreases but the temperature increases with the decreasing viscosity. The impact of the thermophoresis particle deposition plays an important role in the concentration boundary layer. The obtained results are presented graphically and discussed.

Scaling transformation for the effects of chemical reaction on free convective heat and mass transfer in the presence of variable stream conditions

Natural convective boundary layer flow and heat and mass transfer of a fluid with temperature-dependent fluid viscosity, chemical reaction and thermal radiation over a vertical stretching surface in the presence of suction is investigated by scaling transformation analysis. Fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a linear function of temperature. The symmetry groups admitted by the corresponding boundary value problem are obtained by using a special form of Lie-group transformations viz. scaling group of transformations. An exact solution is obtained for translation symmetry and numerical solutions for scaling symmetry. Effects of temperature-dependent fluid viscosity, chemical reaction and thermal radiation on the dimensionless velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are shown graphically. Comparison with previously published work is performed and excellent agreement between the results is obtained. The conclusion is drawn that the flow field and temperature and concentration profiles are significantly influenced by these parameters.