Unsteady free convection nanofluid flow near stagnation point of a three-dimensional body

Abstract

Industrial systems gain a lot of benefit from unsteady free convection flow near the stagnation point of three-dimensional body such as the cooling of an infinite metallic plate in cooling baths and the boundary layer along material handling conveyers. In this study, a mathematical model of an unsteady free convection flow near the stagnation point of a three-dimensional body is developed. The problem considered involves the flow in nanofluid. The governing equations consist of continuity, momentum, energy and nanoparticle volume fraction are solved numerically through the Keller-box method. The effect of the physical parameters such as Brownian motion, thermophoresis and buoyancy parameters on the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are investigated and discussed. Furthermore, various values of the physical parameter are examined by the skin friction coefficient in x- and y- directions, the local Nusselt number and Sherwood number. The results of the skin friction, velocity, temperature and concentration profile are presented and computed using FORTRAN and MATLAB software. The results have shown that Brownian motion, buoyancy, thermophoresis parameters and Lewis number give rises to the concentration profile. In addition, the skin friction is increased when the curvature parameter is increased.