MHD Free Convection Flow and Heat Transfer of Ferrofluids over a Vertical Flat Plate with Aligned and Transverse Magnetic Field

Objective: This paper aims to examine the Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) ferrofluid’s steady natural convection boundary layer flow over a vertical flat plate. Method: Two types of base fluids (kerosene and water) were selected to formulate a problem that incorporates embedded magnetite ferroparticle. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are modified with similarity transformations to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Then the Keller Box method is employed to numerically solve transform equations. The different values of governing parameters features and the characteristics of heat transfer and flow are analysed and discussed. Results: The results of the experiment are illustrated graphically to show the effects of the aligned and transverse magnetic field parameter, the particle volume fraction parameter and free convection parameter on heat transfer, skin friction and velocity and temperature profiles. The results were then compared with the published papers, which were found to agree well. Conclusion: At the plate surface with Fe3O4-kerosene ferrofluid, the heat transfer rate was higher than in the case of Fe3O4-water. The heat transfer rate at the plate surface increased with the rise in ferroparticle volume fraction, the angle of magnetic field, local Grashof number and magnetic field parameter.