Unsteady Magnetohydrodynamic Free Convection Fluid Flow Past an Infinite Vertical Porous Plate

Abstract

The production of high-quality sheeting materials, such as polymer and metal sheets, in a variety of industrial settings requires careful control of heat and mass transfer rates at the sheet surface. In this study, the unsteady magnetohydrodynamic free convection flow of viscous and incompressible fluid in the presence of an impulsively started infinite vertical porous plate, a transverse variable magnetic field, and a rotating system is explored. The governing equations have been solved numerically using finite difference method based on the forward-time central-space scheme. The stability and consistency of this scheme have been carefully analyzed. The resulting numerical schemes are simulated using MATLAB software to obtain profiles of the flow variables such as velocity, temperature, species concentration, and magnetic induction. Wall shear stress, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number have been computed to determine the skin-friction coefficient and the rates of heat and mass transfer. The simulation results are presented in the form of graphs and tables and are discussed. The findings show that an increase in the Joule heating parameter leads to a consistent augmentation in the velocity and temperature profiles near the plate, while they maintain a relatively constant distribution away from the plate. This suggests that the flow is significantly influenced by the strength of joule heating in the proximity to the plate and within the bulk of the fluid. The findings are in good agreement with existing studies in the literature. The findings have practical relevance in industrial water treatment systems, where physical forces play a pivotal role in pollutant removal, development of magnetic cooling systems to replace traditional refrigeration systems, design of more efficient heat exchangers and radiators used in the automotive and aerospace industries, and nuclear fusion where superheated plasmas are controlled and confined using magnetic fields.