Magnetohydrodynamic Flow and Heat Transfer of Casson Fluids

Magnetohydrodynamic flow of Casson fluids combines the complex rheology of a yield-stress fluid with the influence of magnetic fields on electrically conducting media. Casson fluids exhibit a threshold stress below which they behave like an elastic solid and above which they flow with shear-thinning viscosity. When subjected to a magnetic field, the Lorentz force alters the momentum distribution, damping or accelerating the flow depending on field orientation. Heat transfer in such systems is governed by competition between convective motion, magnetic damping, viscous dissipation and thermal diffusion. Applications span from polymer processing and biomedical engineering to cooling of electronic devices and metallurgical operations. The analysis typically involves similarity transformations to reduce governing partial differential equations for momentum, energy and species concentration into coupled ordinary differential equations. Numerical techniques—such as shooting methods, Runge–Kutta integration and continuation algorithms—provide insights into how key dimensionless parameters (Casson number, magnetic parameter, Prandtl number and Reynolds number) shape velocity, temperature and concentration profiles, as well as skin friction and heat transfer rates. Recent advances extend to non-uniform surfaces, chemical reactions, entropy generation analysis and hybrid nanofluid enhancements, underscoring the global relevance of MHD Casson flow in energy, materials and life sciences.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have explored volumetric thermo-convective Casson fluid flow over an inclined, permeable and stretchable surface under magnetic influence. A comprehensive model incorporated nonlinear thermal and mass expansion, chemical reactions, heat sources and an externally applied magnetic field. Similarity transformations reduced the problem to a dimensionless ordinary system, solved via a parametric continuation approach. Results demonstrated that increasing the heat source parameter and chemical reaction rate elevates energy and mass transfer. The Casson fluid velocity rose with thermal Grashof number and nonlinear convection, while stronger magnetic fields moderated the flow profile. These findings provide a detailed framework for controlling MHD Casson flows in applications ranging from surface cooling to chemical reactors.

Magnetohydrodynamic Flow and Heat Transfer of Casson Fluids publication trend

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

Technical terms

Casson fluid: A non-Newtonian fluid model characterised by a yield stress below which it behaves as a solid and above which it flows with shear-dependent viscosity.

Magnetohydrodynamics: The study of the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids in the presence of magnetic fields, combining principles of fluid mechanics and electromagnetism.

Nusselt number: A dimensionless quantity expressing the ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer across a boundary.

Boundary layer: The thin region adjacent to a solid surface where viscous effects influence the flow and temperature fields significantly.

References

1. Volumetric thermo-convective casson fluid flow over a nonlinear inclined extended surface. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Model for flow of Casson nanofluid past a non-linearly stretching sheet considering magnetic field effects. AIP Advances (2015).
3. Effects of heat and mass transfer on unsteady boundary layer flow of a chemical reacting Casson fluid. Results in Physics (2018).
4. MHD Casson Fluid Flow over a Stretching Sheet with Entropy Generation Analysis and Hall Influence. Entropy (2019).