Non-orthogonal stagnation-point flow towards a stretching surface in a non-Newtonian fluid with heat transfer

In the past, considerable attention has been given to the study of stagnation-point flows since they appear in many engineering and industrial applications. In some problems, flow is stagnated by a solid wall, while in others a free stagnation-point or line exists interior to the fluid domain. In this paper, the steady two-dimensional stagnation-point flow of a viscoelastic second-grade fluid over a stretching surface with heat transfer is examined. It is assumed that the fluid impinges on the wall obliquely. Using similarity variables, the governing partial differential equations are transformed into a set of three non-dimensional ordinary differential equations. These equations are then solved numerically using a quasi-linearization technique. It is shown that a boundary layer is formed when the stretching velocity of the surface is less that the inviscid free-stream velocity and velocity at a point increases with the increase in the elasticity of the fluid. It is also found that the temperature at a point decreases with increase in the elasticity of the fluid. The reported results are in good agreement with the available published work in the literature. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.