Electroosmotically modulated peristaltic propulsion of TiO2/10W40 nanofluid in curved microchannel

The present investigation emphasizes the fluid flow analysis and the heat transfer characteristics of 10 W40-based titanium dioxide nanofluid subject to electroosmotic forces and the peristaltic propulsion in a curved microchannel. The Carreau fluid model is employed to predict the shear-thinning behavior of nanofluid. The effect of Brownian and thermophoretic movements of the nanoparticles and the thermophysical attributes are included in the problem with the modified Buongiorno model. The uniqueness here is the inclusion of variable thermophoretic and diffusion parameters in the Buongiorno model. Moreover, the non-Newtonian fluid model is used with experimentally fitted values of the parameters for the considered fluid. The resulting system of equations is highly nonlinear and coupled and therefore executed numerically through the built-in package in Maple 17. The results of the said investigation indicate that for maintaining a larger temperature difference, buoyancy forces are strengthened and fluid motion is facilitated. However, the magnitude of the Nusselt number drops for the larger temperature difference. It is also revealed that the temperature of the nanofluid drops for a larger curvature parameter which physically corresponds to a less curved channel. Further, the electroosmotic flow parameters have a progressive impact on the velocity and the convective heat transfer process.