Effects of Hartmann Number on Unsteady MHD Flow in a Porous Medium Bounded by Parallel Plates
E. O. Anyanwu *
Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.
D. Raymond
Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study examines the unsteady MHD Couette flow through a porous medium of a viscous incompressible fluid bounded by two parallel porous plates under the influence of thermal radiation and chemical reaction. A uniform suction and injection are applied perpendicular to the plates while the fluid motion is subjected to constant pressure gradient. The transformed conservation equations are solved analytically subject to physically appropriate boundary conditions by using Eigenfunction expansion technique. The influence of a number of emerging non-dimensional parameters namely, pressure gradient, suction parameter, radiation parameter and Hartman number are examined in detail. It is observed that the primary velocity is increased with increasing pressure gradient while increase in radiation parameter leads to decrease in the thermal profile of the flow. The Hartman number was also observed to decrease the fluid velocity due to the action of Lorentz force which acts in opposite direction of the flow.
Keywords: Eigenfunction expansion, MHD, constant pressure gradient, suction, hall current