Similarity Solution of Marangoni Convection Boundary Layer Flow over a Flat Surface in a Nanofluid

Abstract

The problem of steady Marangoni boundary layer flow and heat transfer over a flat plate in a nanofluid is studied using different types of nanoparticles. The general governing partial differential equations are transformed into a set of two nonlinear ordinary differential equations using unique similarity transformation. Numerical solutions of the similarity equations are obtained using the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (RKF) method. Three different types of nanoparticles are considered, namely, Cu, Al₂O₃, and TiO₂, by using water as a base fluid with Prandtl number $\text{P}\text{r}=6.2$. The effects of the nanoparticle volume fraction $\mathit{\varphi }$ and the constant exponent m on the flow and heat transfer characteristics are obtained and discussed.