Effect of Internal Heat Generation on Free Convection Heat and Mass Transfer of Non-Newtonian Fluids Flow Over A Vertical Plate in Porous Media: VWT/VWC

The effect of internal heat generation on coupled heat and mass transfer by the free convection flow of a non-Newtonian fluid over a vertical flat plate embedded in a saturated-porous medium is numerically analyzed. The surface of the vertical flat plate is maintained at variable wall temperature and variable wall concentration (VWT/VWC). To obtain the similarity solution, the internal heat generation is of an exponential decaying form. The transformed governing equations are then solved by Keller box method (KBM). Numerical data for the dimensionless temperature profile, the dimensionless concentration profile, the local Nusselt number and the local Sherwood number are presented for the internal heat generation coefficient A*, the power-law index of the non-Newtonian fluid n, the exponent of VWT/VWC lambda, the buoyancy ratio N, and the Lewis number Le. The local Nusselt (Sherwood) number decreases (increases) as the internal heat generation coefficient A* and the Lewis number Le are increased. An increase in the power-law index n tends to retard the flow and thus reduces the local Nusselt number and the local Sherwood number. Increasing the exponent of VWT/VWC lambda and the buoyancy ratio N increases the local Nusselt number and the local Sherwood number.