Irreversibility estimation of MHD thermosolutal convection of Powell–Eyring fluid flow through an inclined microchannel

ABSTRACT

Due to the impressive utility of the mass transport phenomena on microscales for various miniaturised devices, the theoretical and experimental studies in microchannel flows to analyse heat and mass transport find enormous interest in researchers. Investigations in microchannel flows have gigantic applications in biochips, drug delivery, and cooling of microchips. This article examines the combined heat and mass transport of Powell–Eyring fluid through a permeable inclined microchannel considering magnetism, thermo-diffusion, and Navier's slip effects under convective boundary conditions. To solve the nonlinear system numerically MATLAB bvp4c solver is employed. This analysis reveals that the entropy generation due to thermosolutal irreversibility is enhanced strictly with the thermo-diffusion effect and solutal Biot number. The Bejan number profile shows a dominating character of Reynold's number close to the upper channel wall and deteriorates with the immense solutal Grashoff number. Also, it achieves maximum and minimum values for the supreme thermal Biot number and Eckert number, respectively in the middle of the channel. The outcome of the study may provide significant insight into controlling flows through microchannels as well as manipulating microfluidic and biomedical devices for minimising energy loss and designing an efficient model for better thermal performance and transmission of chemical species.

KEYWORDS:

• Microchannel
• magnetohydrodynamics
• Powell–Eyring fluid
• entropy generation
• thermo-diffusion
• convective boundary conditions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Code availability

Matlab codes for drawing the figures are available.

Additional information

Funding

Mr. Raju Sen (JRF) gratefully acknowledges the research fellowship received from University Grants Commission, India (UGC) [grant no. 211610157342/(CSIR-UGC)].