• THE EFFECTS OF SORET AND DUFOUR ON AN UNSTEADY MHD FREE CONVECTION FLOW PAST AN INFINITE VERTICAL PLATE WITH THERMAL RADIATION AND HEAT SOURCE

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the effects of thermal radiation and heat source on an unsteady magnetohydrodynamic free convection flow past an infinite vertical plate in a porous medium in presence of thermal diffusion and diffusion thermo. The dimensionless governing equations are solved numerically using Galerkin finite element method. The numerical results for some special cases were compared with Israel – Cookey et al. [10] and were found to be in good agreement. Numerical evaluation of the analytical results is performed and graphical results for velocity, temperature and concentration profiles, the skin – friction at the plate due to velocity field and rate of heat and mass transfer due to temperature and concentration respectively are obtained in non–dimensional form. The effects of the different physical flow parameters on these respective flow fields are discussed through graphs and results are physically interpreted. This present problem has wide applications in several areas of science and technology viz. chemical catalytic reactors, thermal insulators, heat exchanger devices, nuclear waste repositories, drying of porous solids, enhanced oil and gas recovery, underground energy transport etc.