Heat transfer from a ferrofluid during generalized Couette flow through parallel plates in the presence of an orthogonal magnetic field

Abstract In the present work, we report heat transfer during the unidirectional laminar flow of ferrofluids in a parallel plate channel in the presence of a homogeneously applied magnetic field perpendicular to the flow direction. We have considered generalized Couette flow which results from the combination of shear stress, due to the relative motion between the parallel plates, and applied pressure gradient. For a comprehensive investigation, four different thermal boundary conditions have been considered. The application of magnetic field modifies the viscosity of the colloidal ferrofluid and thereby causes variations in the local flow field. Further, it also modifies the thermal conductivity of the fluid by changing particle orientation. As a consequence, the temperature distribution between the parallel plate channel is uniquely modified. The complex interplay between the hydrodynamics and the magnetics results in implicitly coupled governing differential equations, which have been solved numerically. We report that the local temperature in the domain could be reduced by increasing the applied field strength irrespective of the imposed thermal boundary conditions. However, the influence of the applied field finally gets saturated. We also discuss the effect of Brinkman number, loading of magnetic particles and pressure gradient on temperature distribution. Finally, analytical solutions, which presents closed-form expressions of the temperature profiles for four different types of boundary conditions, have been proposed.