Transient free convection MHD flow between two vertical walls with one wall moving in the presence of induced magnetic field and heat sink

 

P. Suriyakumar and S.P. Anjali Devi

Department of Applied Mathematics, Bharathiar University,  Coimbatore-46, Tamil Nadu, India

*Corresponding Author: suriyakumar_08@yahoo.co.in, anjalidevi_s_p@yahoo.co.in

 

ABSTRACT:

Free convection in real fluids has been studied extensively due to its widespread applications in industry and geophysics. Most of these studies have focused on the effects of different fluid dynamical processes and flow geometry on the ensuing flow. The objective of this paper is to study the transient free convection flow of an electrically conducting, viscous, incompressible fluid between two vertical walls, with one wall moving, in the presence of induced magnetic field and heat sink is considered. A uniform external magnetic field is applied normal to the walls. The governing non-dimensional equations are solved numerically using Matlab. Effects of non-dimensional parameters such as Hartmann number, Prandtl number, Magnetic Prandtl number, Buoyancy distribution parameter, heat sink parameter and the wall parameter over the velocity, induced magnetic field and temperature distribution have been discussed with the help of graphs.

 

KEY WORDS: Transient free convection, MHD, heat sink, vertical wall, buoyancy distribution parameter.

 


 

INTRODUCTION:

Buoyancy driven flows are of common occurrence in technological, atmospheric and oceanic phenomena, the buoyancy stratification being achieved often by the temperature field. Investigations on these types of buoyancy driven natural convection flows are very frequently encountered in engineering devices and natural environment. Investigation of the natural convection transport processes due to the coupling of the fluid flow and heat transfer is a challenging as well as interesting phenomenon. It has been extensively studied between vertical walls because of its importance in many engineering applications.

 

Unsteady natural convection flows, where devices are either heated or cooled have its wide applications in technological processes, such as the cooling of the core of a nuclear reactor in the case of power or pump failures and the warming and cooling of electronic components. Transient natural convection is of fundamental interest in many industrial and environmental situations such as air conditioning systems, human comfort in buildings, atmospheric flows, motors, thermal regulation process, cooling of electronic devices and security of energy systems. The governing equations of such coupled flows are much more complex than the conventional fluid flow equations for the non-magnetic case.

 

Hartmann [1937] investigated experimentally as well as theoretically the hydromagnetic flow between two infinite parallel plates.

 

This work provided fundamental knowledge for development of several MHD devices such as MHD pumps, generators, brakes and flow meters. Ostrach [1952] examined steady laminar convection in a viscous incompressible fluid between two vertical walls. An analysis of the fully-developed MHD free convective flow between two vertical, electrically conducting plates has been carried out by Soundalgekar and Haldavnekar [1973]. Mishra and Mohapatra [1975] have presented the unsteady free convection flow from a vertical plate in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. Joshi [1988] presented a numerical study of the transient natural convection flow between two vertical parallel plates. Gourla et al. [1991] studied unsteady free convection MHD flow between heated vertical plates in the presence of uniform magnetic field. Takhar et al. [1993&1999] studied induced magnetic field effects in transient laminar MHD boundary layer convection along an impulsively-started semi-infinite flat plate with an aligned magnetic field, showing numerically that a reduction in magnetic Prandtl number increases the surface shear stress, surface component of the induced magnetic field and also the surface heat transfer.

 

Paul et al. [1996] have studied the flow behavior of a transient free convective flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in a vertical channel when one of the channel walls is moving impulsively and the walls are heated asymmetrically. Singh et al. [1996] have presented the transient free convection flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in a vertical parallel plate channel, when the walls are heated asymmetrically. Borkakati and Chakrabarty [1999] investigated the unsteady free convection MHD flow between two heated vertical parallel plates in induced magnetic field.

Higuera and Ryazantsev [2002] have presented the laminar natural convection flow due to a localized heat source on the center line of a long vertical channel or pipe whose walls are kept at a constant temperature. Mansour et al. [2003] investigated the analytical solutions for hydromagnetic natural convection flow of a particulate suspension through a channel with heat generation or absorption effects. Jha et al. [2003] have presented an analytical solution for the transient free convection flow in a vertical channel as a result of symmetric heating.  Singh and Paul [2006] has investigated Transient free convection flow of a viscous and incompressible fluid between two vertical walls as a result of asymmetric heating or cooling of the walls. Ajibade and Jha [2009] analyzed the transient natural convection flow between vertical parallel plates with temperature-dependent heat sources/sinks. Analytical solution to the problem of MHD free convective flow of an electrically conducting fluid between two heated parallel plates in the presence of an induced magnetic field was analyzed by Singha [2009]. Recently, Ghosh et al. [2010] has investigated the hydromagnetic natural convection boundary layer flow past an infinite vertical flat plate under the influence of a transverse magnetic field with the inclusion of magnetic induction effects. Singh et al. [2010] studied hydromagnetic free convection in the presence of induced magnetic field.

 

In the proposed study, we analyze the transient MHD free convection of an electrically conducting fluid flowing between two vertical walls, with one wall moving, in the presence of induced magnetic field and heat sink. The governing partial differential equations are reduced to non-dimensional form involving the non-dimensional parameters Hartmann number M, Prandtl number Pm, the wall parameter , buoyancy parameter R, Heat sink parameter S and Magnetic Prandtl number Pm. The numerical results are obtained using MATLAB.

 

 


3. Numerical Solution of the Problem

The system of linear parabolic partial differential equations (6) to (8) subject to the initial and boundary conditions have been solved numerically using MATLAB. The increment step along t and y directions is chosen as 0.02 in the numerical computations. The mesh for the variables y and t in the interval [0, 1] is accordingly selected.

 

It is worth mentioning here that the present convection problem is described by a multi-parameter system involving the seven parameters Gr, M, Pr, Pm, R, S and Uw. A complete study of the system thus necessitates the consideration of the effects of all these parameters and the study of their effects on the free convection.

As the physical problem involves mixing of too many parameters, the value of Gr is chosen as unity to avoid complexity. Regarding key parameter R which arises in the temperature boundary condition, the values of R are chosen such that -1 < R < 1.

 

Three different cases are considered.

 


 

We have fixed the values of Gr = 1 and time t = 0.5 throughout our results. We have discussed all the results for the case R = -0.7 when -1 < R < 0. Figures are drawn for numerical results for different values of the non-dimensional parameters. Two dimensional sketches have been presented.

 

 


4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Numerical results for the velocity , induced magnetic field and temperature  distribution are obtained by fixing various values of the non-dimensional parameters M, Pr, Pm ,S and Uw  for  the case of R = -0.7 when            -1 < R < 0 and  the obtained results are shown graphically.

 

In order to compare our results for verification purpose, Fig.1 is drawn by fixing the values of non-dimensional parameters as that of Singh [2010] and Fig.1 demonstrates the velocity profiles in the absence of S and Uw. The results are identical to those of Singh [2010] in the absence of S and Uw which are justified through Fig. 1.

 

Figures (2) to (13) represent the two-dimensional plots for illustrating the velocity, induced magnetic field and temperature.

 

Fig.2 elucidates the effect of the Hartmann number over velocity, when the wall at y* = L remains stationary. The presence of a magnetic field in an electrically conducting fluid introduces a force called Lorentz force which acts against the flow if the magnetic field is applied in the normal direction as considered. The effect of Hartmann number is to accelerate the velocity in minimum part of the channel and decelerate the remaining part. It is interesting to note both the increasing and decreasing effect over the velocity. However the influence is dominant to decelerate the velocity in major portion of the channel when time t = 0.5.

The influence of the Hartmann number M on the induced magnetic field through the boundary layer is depicted in Fig.3. As Hartmann number M increases, the induced magnetic field decreases and it is parabolic in nature. The dimensionless velocity profiles for various values of Pr are shown in Fig. 4. From this figure we observe that velocity decreases with the increasing values of Prandtl number. Fig. 5 displays the effect of Prandtl number Pr over the induced magnetic field distribution. The effect of Prandtl number Pr is to decrease the induced magnetic field upto certain part of the channel from the wall at  and in the remaining part it increases the induced magnetic field. The distribution of temperature for various values of Prandtl number is portrayed through Fig.6. It is worth to note that the temperature reduces when Prandtl number Pr increases, in general as expected.

 

Fig.7 depicts the dimensionless velocity for various values of Pm. For increasing values of Pm, it is noted that the velocity increases upto certain region and the reverse effect takes place in the remaining part of the channel. The effect of Pm over the dimensionless velocity is less significant in the case of time t = 0.5. The effect of Magnetic Prandtl number Pm over the induced magnetic field distribution  can be visualized through Fig.8. For increasing values of Magnetic Prandtl number Pm, the induced magnetic field also increases and it is parabolic in nature.

 

From Fig.9, it can be observed that the influence of heat sink parameter S is to decelerate the velocity of the fluid. The induced magnetic field distribution for various values of heat Sink parameter S is represented in Fig.10. It is very interesting to note that when the strength of Sink increases, the induced magnetic field decreases from  in one part of the channel and increases in the remaining part of the channel up to y* = L.

 

Fig.11 illustrates the temperature distribution for different values of heat sink parameter. The effect of heat sink parameter is having both the decreasing and increasing effect over the temperature. However the influence is dominant to reduce the temperature in major portion of the channel and to increase it in the remaining part of the channel. Fig.12 portrays the effect of Uw over the dimensionless velocity. The effect of the speed of the moving wall increases the velocity of the fluid for its increasing values. Fig.13 demonstrates the speed of the moving wall over the induced magnetic field. The trend of the induced magnetic field distribution is to increase for increasing values of Uw   throughout the region of the channel.

 

5. CONCLUSION:

The problem of transient free convection flow of an electrically conducting, viscous, incompressible fluid between two vertical walls, with one wall moving, in the presence of induced magnetic field and heat sink has been analyzed. Numerical solutions of the problem have been obtained for certain values of the non-dimensional parameters and the results are displayed graphically.

From the obtained numerical results the following conclusions are drawn

Ĝ  The effect of Hartmann number M over the velocity has both increasing and decreasing trend when the wall is moving with a constant speed and the Hartmann number M is to reduce the induced magnetic field.

Ĝ  The effect of Prandtl number is to reduce both the velocity and temperature while it has both decreasing and increasing trend over the induced magnetic field for its increasing values of Pr.

Ĝ  When the wall at y* = L is moving with a constant speed, magnetic Prandtl number has both the increasing and decreasing effect over the velocity while it has increasing effect alone over the induced magnetic field.

Ĝ  Velocity gets decelerated for increasing values of heat sink parameter. The effect of heat sink parameter has both decreasing and increasing trend over the induced magnetic field and similar trend is also observed temperature distribution for its increasing values.

Ĝ  Both the velocity and induced magnetic field increase due to increasing values of Uw, where Uw is the speed of the moving wall at y* = L.

 

6. REFERENCE:

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Received on 11.01.2013                                    Accepted on 10.02.2013        

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Research J. Science and Tech 5(1): Jan.-Mar.2013 page 198-206