Significance of nonlinear Boussinesq approximation and non-uniform heat source/sink on nanoliquid flow with convective heat condition: sensitivity analysis

The quadratic convective flow of nanoliquid over an elongating plate subjected to non-uniform heat source/sink, partial slip, and Newton boundary conditions is studied by using the modified Buongiorno model. The correlation for effective thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanoliquid are taken from the experimental work of Corcione. The dimensionless velocity, temperature, rate of heat transport, and mass transport distributions are simulated by solving the nonlinear boundary value problem using the finite difference method. The additional novelty of the present study is an application of response surface methodology to scrutinize the interactive impact of key parameters on the rate of heat transfer. Further, the influence of key parameters is deliberated on various flow fields using the surface and streamline plots. The higher velocities are noticed for the case of nonlinear Boussinesq approximation as compared with the usual Boussinesq approximation. The temperature enhances with a non-uniform heat source/sink aspect. The sensitivity of the heat transfer to the nanoparticle volume fraction remains positive.