Mixed Convection Boundary Layer Flow over a Vertical Flat Plate with Radiative Heat Transfer

Abstract

In this article, the problem of mixed convection boundary layer flow of viscous fluid along a heated vertical plate is examined. In the analysis radiative component of heat flux emulates the surface temperature. Appropriate set of variables are embraced here which reduces the governing boundary layer equations into dimensionless form. Subsequently, a group of continuous transformation is applied on the dimensionless equations in order to obtain the parabolic partial differential equations for the regimes where modified Richardson number, Ri* , is 1) small i.e. when Ri* 1, 2) large i.e. when Ri* 1, and 3) covers all its values i.e. when 0 ≤ Ri* ≤ ∞. The system of equation for the corresponding regimes are thus integrated numerically via straightforward finite difference method along with Gaussian elimination technique. Its worth mentioning that results obtained here are valid particularly for the liquid metals for which Pr 1. Moreover, the numerical results are demonstrated graphically by showing the effects of important physical parameters, namely, the modified Richardson number (or mixed convection parameter), Ri* , surface radiation parameter, R, and Prandtl number, Pr, in terms of local skin friction and local Nusselt number coefficients. In addition, comprehensive interpretation of thermal energy distributions is also given in terms of heatlines which is termed as good tool to visualize the flow patterns.