Analysis of Sisko fluid flow in a porous medium with activation energy and non-uniform heat sink effects

Abstract

This present study investigates magnetohydrodynamic flow of a Sisko fluid across a nonlinearly stretching sheet through a porous medium. The current work aims to examine how the fluid’s flow and transport properties are affected by activation energy, thermal radiation, a spatially variable heat source, and a uniform magnetic field applied parallel to the stretched sheet. The governing equations are transformed into a dimensionless form using appropriate similarity transformations, and the bvp4c method is used to solve numerically. Graphical findings show how various physical parameters affect temperature, concentration, and velocity profiles. Additionally, the study demonstrates variations in the heat and mass, and skin-friction coefficients. The key findings of this study indicate that stretching parameter lowers fluid velocity, whereas material parameter of the Sisko fluid boosts the fluid’s velocity but reduces the temperature. Also, as porous parameter goes from 1 to 4, the velocity profile drops by around 60 %. Furthermore, the energy activation parameters enhance the concentration of the fluid. When it rises from 0.5 to 2.0, the concentration profile increases by roughly 25 %. In polymer manufacturing, chemical reactors, and thermal systems, Sisko fluids with non-uniform heat sinks and activation energy are used to regulate heat transfer and reaction rates in intricate non-Newtonian flows.