Laminar mixed convection adjacent to vertical, continuously stretching sheets

Abstract

The analysis of laminar mixed convection in boundary layers adjacent to a vertical, continuously stretching sheet has been presented. The velocity and temperature of the sheet were assumed to vary in a power-law form, that is, u _w (x)=Bx ^m and T _w (x)−T _∞=Ax ⁿ. In the presence of buoyancy force effects, similarity solutions were reported for the following two cases: (a) n=0 and m=0.5, which corresponds to an isothermal sheet moving with a velocity of the form u _w =Bx ^0.5 and (b) n=1 and m=1, which corresponds to a continuous, linearly stretching sheet with a linear surface temperature distribution, i.e. T _w −T _∞=Ax. Formulation of the present problem shows that the heat transfer characteristics depends on four governing parameters, namely, the velocity exponent parameter m, the temperature exponent parameter n, the buoyancy force parameter G ^*, and Prandtl number of the fluid. Numerical solutions were generated from a finite difference method. Results for the local Nusselt number, the local friction coefficient, and temperature profiles are presented for different governing parameters. Effects of buoyancy force and Prandtl number on the flow and heat transfer characteristics are thoroughly examined.