Magnetohydrodynamic Flow Dynamics in Non-Newtonian Fluids

Magnetohydrodynamic flow dynamics in non-Newtonian fluids investigates how electrically conducting complex fluids respond to magnetic fields, combining electromagnetic forces with shear-dependent viscosity and viscoelastic effects. Such fluids—ranging from polymer solutions and bioliquids to industrial slurries—exhibit shear thinning, shear thickening or time-dependent stress relaxation, which profoundly alters boundary layer formation, heat transfer rates and mixing characteristics under magnetisation. Key applications include targeted drug delivery, cooling systems in fusion reactors, enhanced oil recovery and electromagnetic processing of materials. Advances in modelling have revealed that magnetic fields can be tuned to control flow stability, suppress turbulence and modulate thermal boundary layers in fluids that deviate from classical Newtonian behaviour. By integrating sophisticated constitutive models with Maxwell’s equations, researchers now predict and optimise performance in microscale devices, biomedical pumps and large-scale industrial reactors with greater precision than ever before.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have introduced rigorous analytical frameworks for magnetised non-Newtonian flows over curved surfaces. One investigation analysed Casson fluid flow over a stratified stretching cylinder subjected to an external transverse magnetic field and bioconvective transport of motile microorganisms. Through similarity transformations and homotopy analysis, the work quantified how magnetic intensity, curvature parameters and shear-dependent yield stress shape velocity, temperature and microorganism density profiles. It demonstrated that stronger magnetic fields thin the momentum boundary layer while thickening thermal and concentration layers, offering new control strategies for microfluidic bioengineering and suspension processing under electromagnetic actuation.

Magnetohydrodynamic Flow Dynamics in Non-Newtonian Fluids publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in magnetohydrodynamic flow dynamics in non-newtonian fluids across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD): The study of the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids under the influence of magnetic fields, coupling Navier–Stokes and Maxwell’s equations.

Non-Newtonian fluid: A fluid whose viscosity varies with shear rate or time, exhibiting behaviours such as shear thinning, shear thickening or viscoelasticity.

Carreau fluid: A generalized Newtonian model describing shear-dependent viscosity that transitions between Newtonian plateaux at low and high shear rates.

Jeffrey fluid: A viscoelastic model that incorporates both fluid relaxation and retardation times to characterise time-dependent stress responses.

Hartmann number (Ha): A dimensionless parameter expressing the ratio of electromagnetic force to viscous force in MHD flow, governing boundary layer thickness.

Cattaneo–Christov heat-flux model: A non-Fourier formulation of heat conduction that includes a finite thermal relaxation time, preventing infinite propagation speeds.

Bioconvection: The spontaneous convective motion arising from density gradients induced by the collective swimming of microorganisms in suspension.

References

1. Magnetized and non-magnetized Casson fluid flow with gyrotactic microorganisms over a stratified stretching cylinder. Scientific Reports (2021).
2. Analysis of Arrhenius activation energy in magnetohydrodynamic Carreau fluid flow through improved theory of heat diffusion and binary chemical reaction. Journal of Physics Communications (2018).
3. A comparative remark on heat transfer in thermally stratified MHD Jeffrey fluid flow with thermal radiations subject to cylindrical/plane surfaces. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2022).
4. Influence of Bioconvection and Chemical Reaction on Magneto—Carreau Nanofluid Flow through an Inclined Cylinder. Mathematics (2022).