Effect of magnetohydrodynamics and buoyancy ratio on thermosolutal double diffusion mixed convection in a cavity filled with liquid potassium alloy and Taguchi optimization with a linear regression model

Abstract

Researchers in the biomedical field have focused more on the application of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) in recent years. This concept has various uses, such as scanning with laser beams, cancer treatment, targeted drug delivery, and improving image contrast. The increasing demand for smaller clinical devices has prompted researchers to optimize their designs. This study examines the steady double-diffusive mixed convection characteristics and employs Taguchi optimization techniques in a double-sided cavity filled with liquid potassium alloy that exhibits a magnetic effect. The investigation analyzes the impact of various parameters, including Reynolds number (10²–10³), Lewis number (1.0–10.0), Hartmann number (0–50), buoyancy ratio (−4.0 to 4.0), Richardson Number (1.0), Prandtl number (0.054), and Source length (0.2L). Experiments are designed using a Taguchi method, and numerical codes based on the finite volume technique are employed to obtain the results. The findings suggest that the heat and mass transfer (HMT) rates increase as Re increases and decrease when there is an increase in Ha and N. When Le increases, there is a decrease in heat transfer but an increase in mass transfer. When Ha varied from 0 to 50, and the buoyancy ratio ranged from −2 to 2, the average Nusselt number (Nu_avg) decreased by 34.24%, 33.94%, 23.28%, and 7.73%, respectively. Similarly, the average Sherwood number (Sh_avg) decreased by 18.12%, 26.8%, 47.48%, and 45.27% for the above conditions. Moreover, an empirical correlation was developed for Nu_avg and Sh_avg.

Keywords:

• Double diffusion mixed convection
• MHD
• regression model
• Taguchi method
• thermosolutal source

Disclosure statement

The authors state that they do not have any known financial conflicts of interest or personal relationships that could have been perceived to affect the findings presented in this paper.

Data availability statement

Data will be made available on request.

Additional information

Funding

The authors state that they did not receive any funding.