Exploring the nanoparticle's shape effect on boundary layer flow of hybrid nanofluid over a thin needle with quadratic Boussinesq approximation: Legendre wavelet approach

Fluid flowing over a thin needle has a significant contribution in the medical industry. Titanium oxide (TiO2) and gold (Au) nanoparticles have applications such as killing bacteria and cancer cells, and composition of these nanoparticles has potential industrial applications. Thus, the present work examines the flow attributes of Au-TiO2/ethylene glycol hybrid nanofluid flowing over a thin needle. The fluid flow is exposed to a uniform magnetic field, and fluid properties (dynamic viscosity and thermal conductivity) are considered to be temperature and nanoparticle's shape dependent. In addition, the effect of quadratic convection with quadratic thermal radiation is investigated, and the process of heat transfer is explicated using Cattaneo-Christov heat flux model. The governing expressions are solved using Legendre wavelet collocation technique. The response of the involved parameters is displayed through tables and graphs. A comparison with published work is also presented, to validate the accuracy of the applied methodology. The obtained outcomes reveal that the temperature profiles of cylindrical-shaped nanoparticles are higher and blade-shaped particles are least. Moreover, the velocity of hybrid nanofluid increases with increasing the needle size. This happens because the inner part of the needle allows larger flow area, resulting in higher flow rates and velocities.

Automated summary

This study examines the flow characteristics of Au-TiO2/ethylene glycol hybrid nanofluid flowing over a thin needle and considers the effects of magnetic field, quadratic convection, and quadratic thermal radiation. The results show that cylindrical-shaped nanoparticles have the highest temperature profiles, while blade-shaped particles have the lowest.