Mixed convection peristaltic flow of Eyring-Powell nanofluid in a curved channel with compliant walls

Abstract

The novel features of nanofluids made them potentially significant in heat transfer mechanism occurring in medical and industrial processes like microelectronics, pharmaceutical processes, hybrid engines, thermal management of vehicles, refrigerator, chiller, gas temperature reduction and so forth. These processes bear tendency to enhance thermal conductivity and the convective heat transfer more efficiently than base fluid. This unique aspect made nanofluids the topic of interest in recent time via different fluid flow models. The problem in hand is one such application of nanofluids in peristaltic flow through curved channel. Thus peristalsis of Eyring-Powell nanofluid followed through conservation principles of mass, momentum, energy and concentration has been modeled. The whole system is made coupled via viscous dissipation, mixed convection, thermophoresis and Brownian motion. The complexity of system has been executed through a numerical approach after utilizing small Reynolds number and large wavelength concepts. A striking feature of this study is the activation of velocity and temperature with larger Brownian diffusion, whereas reduction is noticed with advancement in thermophoresis. Moreover the numerically obtained results for compliant walls are compatible with those obtained through other techniques.

Keywords: Curved channel; Eyring-Powell fluid; Numerical solutions; Thermal radiation; Thermophoresis and Brownian diffusion; Wall properties.