A Weibull Distribution: Flow and Heat Transfer of Nanofluids Containing Carbon Nanotubes with Radiation and Velocity Slip Effects

Abstract

In this study, the Tiwari and Das model is numerically studied, in case of a moving plate containing both single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs and MWCNTs, respectively), in the presence of thermal radiation and the slip effect. Employing the similarity transformation, a set of 2nd-order partial differential equations (which are used to model the flow and heat transfer) are solved numerically using the boundary value problem with 4th-order accuracy (BVP4C) method. The effects of related parameters, such as the volume fraction of nanoparticles, moving, slip, and radiation parameter on the heat transfer performance are analysed and discussed. Results indicate that a unique solution was placed when the plate travels in assisting flow conditions. Additionally, as the nanoparticle volume fraction (ϕ) rises at ϕ = 0.2, the skin friction and heat transfer rate decrease. It is also observed that when the slip parameter (β) increases at β = 0.4, the skin friction decreases, whereas the heat transfer rate increases. Meanwhile, the heat transfer rate decreases when the thermal radiation (NR) increases to 0.7. Moreover, it is found that the SWCNTs are more efficient when the skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number are considered. It is found that the Weibull distribution is more suitable in fitting the skin friction data.