The effects of temperature-dependent fluid properties on free convective flow along a semi-infinite vertical plate by the presence of radiation

The effects of temperature-dependent density, viscosity and thermal conductivity on the free convective steady laminar boundary layer flow by the presence of radiation for large temperature differences, are studied. The fluid density and the thermal conductivity are assumed to vary linearly with temperature. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a reciprocal of a linear function of temperature. The usual Boussinesq approximation is neglected due to the large temperature difference between the plate and the fluid. The nonlinear boundary layer equations, governing the problem under consideration, are solved numerically by applying an efficient numerical technique based on the shooting method. The effects of the density/temperature parameter n, the thermal conductivity parameter sigma, the viscosity/ temperature parameter theta(r) and the radiation parameter F are examined on the velocity and temperature fields as well as the coefficient of heat flux and the shearing stress at the plate.