Peristaltic Flow of a Phan-Thien-Tanner Nanofluid in a Diverging Tube

The present study examines the peristaltic flow of a PTT nanofluid in a diverging tube. This is the first article on the PTT peristaltic flow in nanofluid. The governing equations for PTT nanofluid are modelled in a cylindrical coordinates system. The flow is investigated in a wave frame of reference moving with velocity of the wave c(1). Temperature and nanoparticle equations are coupled so the homotopy perturbation method is used to calculate the solutions of temperature and nanoparticle equations, while exact solutions have been evaluated for the velocity profile and pressure gradient. The solutions analyze the Brownian motion number N-b, thermophoresis number N-t, local temperature Grashof number B-r, and local nanoparticle Grashof number G(r). The effects of various physical parameters of the model are investigated and discussed. It is observed that the pressure rise decreases with the increase in thermophoresis number N-t. Increases are noted in the Brownian motion parameter Nb and the thermophoresis parameter N-t as the temperature profile increases. Streamlines have been plotted at the end of the article. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.