Irreversibility analysis of hybrid nanofluid flow over a thin needle with effects of energy dissipation (Q2338029)

Summary: The flow and heat transfer analysis in the conventional nanofluid Al\(_2\)O\(_3\)-H\(_2\)O and hybrid nanofluid Cu-Al\(_2\)O\(_3\)-H\(_2\)O was carried out in the present study. The present work also focused on the comparative analysis of entropy generation in conventional and hybrid nanofluid flow. The flows of both types of nanofluid were assumed to be over a thin needle in the presence of thermal dissipation. The temperature at the surface of the thin needle and the fluid in the free stream region were supposed to be constant. Modified Maxwell Garnet (MMG) and the Brinkman model were utilized for effective thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity. The numerical solutions of the self-similar equations were obtained by using the Runge-Kutta Fehlberg scheme (RKFS). The Matlab in-built solver bvp4c was also used to solve the nonlinear dimensionless system of differential equations. The present numerical results were compared to the existing limiting outcomes in the literature and were found to be in excellent agreement. The analysis demonstrated that the rate of entropy generation reduced with the decreasing velocity of the thin needle as compared to the free stream velocity. The hybrid nanofluid flow with less velocity was compared to the regular nanofluid under the same circumstances. Furthermore, the enhancement in the temperature profile of the hybrid nanofluid was high as compared to the regular nanofluid. The influences of relevant physical parameters on flow, temperature distribution, and entropy generation are depicted graphically and discussed herein.