Three-dimensional biomagnetic Maxwell fluid flow over a stretching surface in presence of heat source/sink

The present paper deals with the study of three-dimensional boundary layer flow of biomagnetic Maxwell fluid over a plane horizontal surface stretched linearly along two mutually perpendicular directions. Basic principles of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and ferro-hydrodynamics (FHD) have been employed. The effect of heat generation/absorption has been taken into consideration. The study is theoretical and is conducted by using a combination of approximate and numerical techniques. By using the method of similarity transformation, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations are converted into a set of coupled ordinary differential equations. in the sequel, a suitable numerical method has been developed to solve the coupled differential equations. The accuracy of the numerical method has been checked by comparing the numerical results with those of an earlier study reported in available literatures. Effects of various parameters involved in the study, viz. the magnetohydrodynamic and ferromagnetic parameters, Deborah number, stretching ratio and heat generation on the fluid flow profiles are investigated and the results have been presented graphically. Variations of the skin friction, heat transfer rate and relative wall pressure with change in hydrodynamic and ferromagnetic parameters have also been illustrated. It is found that due to the influence of the Kelvin force, the velocity component in x-direction is greater than the corresponding one in the hydrodynamic case, but the opposite is true for the velocity component in the y-direction. We also found that the temperature of the fluid for hydrodynamic flow is greater than that for MHD or FHD flow. It is even greater for BFD flows. The numerical results of the study reveal that the characteristics of blood flow are significantly affected by the presence of a magnetic field.