Falkner-Skan flow of nanofluid past a static wedge with partial slip conditions using different models

Present study deals with the buoyancy assisted or opposed Falkner-Skan nanofluid flow over a heated wedge. Firstly, the problem is formulated via single phase model by assuming that nanoparticle working fluid is water based and comprises of different nanoparticle materials namely copper (Cu), copper oxide (CuO), Alumina (Al2O3) and Titania (TiO2). Partial slip assumption is employed which results in the Robin–type condition in longitudinal velocity component. The resulting heat transfer process with a prescribed surface temperature is also formulated and analyzed using thermal slip condition. The governing problem is transformed into a coupled self-similar boundary value problem whose numerical solution is developed by MATLAB package bvp4c based on the collocation approach. Computational results for velocity field and temperature are scrutinized for full ranges of solid volume fraction (ϕ) and pressure gradient parameter (m) under both assisting and opposing flow scenarios. The computational results clearly demonstrate that nanofluid assumption is indeed vital for thermal conductivity enhancement of convectional heat transfer fluids. The problem is also investigated by using Buongiorno model in a special case (m = 0), when fluid properties and wall temperature are kept constant. Numerical solutions indicate that there is no noticeable change in temperature profile by changing Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis parameters.