Effect of heat generation on free convection boundary layer flow of a viscoelastic fluid past a horizontal circular cylinder with constant surface heat flux

Abstract

Effect of heat generation on free convection boundary layer flow of a viscoelastic fluid past a horizontal circular cylinder with constant surface heat flux has been investigated. The boundary layer equations are an order higher than those for the Newtonian (viscous) fluid and the adherence boundary conditions are insufficient to determine the solution of these equations completely. The governing equations are transformed into dimensionless non-similar equations by using a set of suitable transformations and solved numerically by the finite difference method along with Newton's linearization approximation. Computations are performed numerically by using Keller-box method by augmenting an extra boundary condition at infinity. We have focused our attention on the evaluation of velocity profiles, temperature profiles, shear stress in terms of local skin friction and the rate of heat transfer in terms of local Nusselt number for different values of heat generation parameter, viscoelastic parameter and the Prandlt number and the numerical results have been shown graphically.