Thermal radiation effects on nanofluid flow over a vertical cone in the presence of pressure work

Abstract

This study examines the effect of thermal radiation on nanofluid flow and heat transfer over a truncated cone in the presence of pressure work, a problem critical for thermal management and industrial cooling systems. Using similarity transformations, the governing equations are converted into coupled nonlinear partial differential equations and solved numerically via the Legendre collocation method. It gives a high degree of consistency between the proposed numerical solutions and the results previously reported under specific cases. The Prandtl number, pressure work parameter, radiation parameter, and nanoparticle volume fraction all have a major impact on flow and thermal behavior, according to the main results. Nanofluids enhance the transfer of heat by 10–40% when compared to pure fluid, cooling speeds up, and surface strength and hardness improve. Also, the kinds of nanofluid and the parameters related to the volume percentage of nanoparticles are crucial in determining the flow behavior. The surface mechanical properties are advanced by using 10% nanoparticle nanofluid rather than 5%. It has been discovered that the strength and hardness of the surface will enhance with an increase in the pressure work parameter when employing Cu-water nanofluid, but they will decrease with an increase in the thermal radiation parameter values. The novelty of this work lies in the application of the Legendre collocation method to this problem, along with new quantitative insights into how pressure work and radiation interact with nanofluids, providing practical guidelines for optimizing thermal and mechanical performance in industrial systems.