Similarity solution of marangoni convection boundary layer flow over a flat surface in a nanofluid

• Main Authors: Md. Arifin, Norihan, Nazar, Roslinda, Pop, Ioan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2013
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30384/1/Similarity%20solution%20of%20marangoni%20convection%20boundary%20layer%20flow%20over%20a%20flat%20surface%20in%20a%20nanofluid.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30384/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/634746
• Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia

The problem of steady Marangoni boundary layer flow and heat transfer over a flat plate in a nanofluid is studied using different types of nanoparticles. The general governing partial differential equations are transformed into a set of two nonlinear ordinary differential equations using unique similarity transformation. Numerical solutions of the similarity equations are obtained using the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (RKF) method. Three different types of nanoparticles are considered, namely, Cu, Al2O3, and TiO2, by using water as a base fluid with Prandtl number Pr=6.2. The effects of the nanoparticle volume fraction φ and the constant exponent m on the flow and heat transfer characteristics are obtained and discussed.