Magnetohydrodynamic Dusty Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) dusty fluid flow concerns the motion and thermal behaviour of a fluid laden with fine solid particles under the influence of a magnetic field. The coupling between electromagnetic forces and particulate–fluid interactions gives rise to complex flow structures, boundary layers and heat transfer patterns. Governing equations combine Navier–Stokes formulations with Maxwell’s laws, augmented by models for interphase momentum and energy exchange. Key parameters include the magnetic parameter, which quantifies the strength of Lorentz forces; the dust interaction parameter, reflecting drag between phases; and dimensionless groups such as the Prandtl and Eckert numbers, which govern thermal transport. Applications range from cooling systems in nuclear reactors and electromagnetic pumps in metallurgy to targeted drug delivery and astrophysical plasmas. Recent trends address non-Newtonian rheology, rotating frames, variable heat sources or sinks, porous media, and the use of sophisticated perturbation or numerical schemes to resolve coupled nonlinearities.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies have examined free-convective Couette flow of a viscoelastic dusty fluid in a rotating frame under a transverse magnetic field. The analysis treats the upper plate as undergoing sinusoidal oscillations and employs a perturbation approach to derive expressions for velocity components of both fluid and particle phases, as well as for skin friction and the Nusselt number. It is observed that increasing the rotation parameter amplifies Coriolis effects, thereby retarding the motion of dust and fluid phases and modifying the heat transfer rate at the boundary.

Magnetohydrodynamic Dusty Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in magnetohydrodynamic dusty fluid flow and heat transfer across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD): The study of electrically conducting fluids interacting with magnetic fields.

Dusty fluid: A two-phase medium consisting of a carrier fluid and dispersed solid particles exchanging momentum and energy.

Boundary layer: A thin region adjacent to a surface where velocity and thermal gradients are pronounced.

Nusselt number: A dimensionless measure of convective heat transfer relative to conduction.

Prandtl number: The ratio of momentum diffusivity to thermal diffusivity in a fluid.

References

1. Inclined relative magnetic field analysis of Brinkman type dusty fluid through fluctuating upright parallel plates. Heliyon (2023).
2. Two-phase mixed convection nanofluid flow of a dusty tangent hyperbolic past a nonlinearly stretching sheet. Journal of the Egyptian Mathematical Society (2019).
3. Thermal analysis of conducting dusty fluid flow in a porous medium over a stretching cylinder in the presence of non-uniform source/sink. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering (2014).
4. Couette flow of viscoelastic dusty fluid in a rotating frame along with the heat transfer. Scientific Reports (2021).