Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2014) 129: 154
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2014-14154-7

Regular Article

Heat and mass transfer from an isothermal wedge in nanofluids with Soret effect

¹ Department of Mathematics, National Institute of Science and Technology, Palur Hills, Berhampur, 761008, Odisha, India
² Department of Mathematics, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Peenya campus, Bengaluru, 560 058, Karnataka, India
³ School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01 Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

^* e-mail: perikamesh@gmail.com

Received: 2 May 2014
Revised: 9 June 2014
Accepted: 19 June 2014
Published online: 24 July 2014

Abstract

A mathematical model for the two-dimensional steady incompressible convective heat and mass transfer from an isothermal wedge immersed in a nanofluid is presented. The model used for the nanofluid incorporates the effects of the volume fraction parameter. Two types of nanofluids, silver-water and gold-water nanofluids, are considered in this study. Suitable transformations are used to convert the partial differential equations into highly nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which have been solved numerically using the Matlab bvp4c function. A comparison is made with results available in the literature and found to be in good agreement. Results pertaining to the skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, Sherwood number as well as the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles for selected values of parameters describing the model have been discussed.