On MHD boundary‐layer flow and mass transfer past a vertical plate in a porous medium with constant heat flux

Abstract

Purpose

The hydromagnetic mixed convection flow of an incompressible viscous electrically conducting fluid and mass transfer over a vertical porous plate with constant heat flux embedded in a porous medium is investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the Boussinesq and boundary‐layer approximations, the fluid equations for momentum, energy balance and concentration governing the problem are formulated. These equations are solved numerically by using the most effective Newton–Raphson shooting method along with fourth‐order Runge–Kutta integration algorithm.

Findings

It was found that for positive values of the buoyancy parameters, the skin friction increased with increasing values of both the Eckert number (Ec) and the magnetic field intensity parameter (M) and decreased with increasing values of both the Schmidt number (Sc) and the permeability parameter (K).

Practical implications

A very useful source of information for researchers on the subject of hydromagnetic flow in porous media.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates the effects of magnetic field on mixed convective boundary layer flow past a vertical plate embedded in a saturated porous medium with mass transfer and a constant heat flux.

Citation

Makinde, O.D. (2009), "On MHD boundary‐layer flow and mass transfer past a vertical plate in a porous medium with constant heat flux", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 19 No. 3/4, pp. 546-554. https://doi.org/10.1108/09615530910938434