THE FLOW OF CASSON FLUIDS THROUGH POROUS MEDIA

Abstract

This research presents an investigation of a two-dimensional steady flow of an incompressible Casson fluid. The flow is assumed to be in a porous medium with a chemical process and a magnetic field transversely acting on an exponentially stretched surface. The study is significant as the majority of the flow industry exhibits behaviors of a non-Newtonian in nature. The governing equations of the model were derived in the form of partial differential equations, and suitable similarity variables were employed to model the transformation. These produced a coupled form of nonlinear higher-order ordinary differential equations, which were then reduced to a system of first-order ordinary differential equations. The fourth-order Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method, along with the shooting techniques, was used to obtain numerical solutions using the Maple Software package. Numerical results for the skin friction coefficient, the Nusselt number, and the Sherwood number, which are the most important quantities of interest in engineering practice and give insights into the flow dynamics, were computed and displayed in tables. Graphical results have also been displayed for the model to depict the effects of the controlling parameters on the flow. It was noticed that increases in the Casson parameter caused the skin friction coefficient to rise, which was accompanied by a decline in the speed of heat and mass transfers. This further resulted in a lower speed of flow along with an enhancement of the thermal boundary layer thickness. The study, therefore, concludes that the use of Casson fluids is crucial in controlling flow kinematics, which are important in achieving desired product characteristics