Heat transfer analysis of buoyancy opposing radiated flow of alumina nanoparticles scattered in water-based fluid past a vertical cylinder

Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 3;13(1):10725. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37973-6.

Abstract

Cooling and heating are two critical processes in the transportation and manufacturing industries. Fluid solutions containing metal nanoparticles have higher thermal conductivity than conventional fluids, allowing for more effective cooling. Thus, the current paper is a comparative exploration of the time-independent buoyancy opposing and heat transfer flow of alumina nanoparticles scattered in water as a regular fluid induced via a vertical cylinder with mutual effect of stagnation-point and radiation. Based on some reasonable assumptions, the model of nonlinear equations is developed and then tackled numerically employing the built-in bvp4c MATLAB solver. The impacts of assorted control parameters on gradients are investigated. The outcomes divulge that the aspect of friction factor and heat transport upsurge by incorporating alumina nanoparticles. The involvement of the radiation parameter shows an increasing tendency in the heat transfer rate, resulting in an enhancement in thermal flow efficacy. In addition, the temperature distribution uplifts due to radiation and curvature parameters. It is discerned that the branch of dual outcomes exists in the opposing flow case. Moreover, for higher values of the nanoparticle volume fraction, the reduced shear stress and the reduced heat transfer rate increased respectively by almost 1.30% and 0.0031% for the solution of the first branch, while nearly 1.24%, and 3.13% for the lower branch solution.