Bioconvective flow and heat transport analysis of water-based nanoparticles with variable viscosity and...

Because of their improved thermal conductivity, nanofluids are very useful in heat exchangers, solar collectors, and electronics cooling, among other cooling and heat transfer systems. Ternary hybrid nanofluids (THNF), which consist of three dissimilar types of nanoparticles, provide additional enhancement and multifunctional capabilities in fields including refrigeration systems, drug delivery, and enhanced oil recovery because of their adaptable thermophysical characteristics. In the current analysis, heat and mass transport in a tri-hybrid nanofluid flowing over a Riga plate is investigated using a generalized Fourier-Fick heat and mass flux model with variable relaxation times. Further, the influence of velocity and thermal slip boundary conditions, variable viscosity and thermal conductivity are considered. Through appropriate similarity transformations, the governing partial differential equations (PDEs) are changed into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The BVP4C solver in MATLAB is then used to numerically solve the resulting ODE system. The graphical results are obtained for ternary hybrid nanofluid (CNT-Al₂O₃-graphene) against various parameters. From the figure, it is perceived that enhancement values of velocity slip and variable viscosity parameter reduce the fluid velocity. Further, the variable thermal and solute relaxation parameters reduce the concentration and temperature fields.