MHD Boundary layer Flow of Hybrid Nanofluids over a Porous Stretching Sheet with Thermal Radiation: A Three-Dimensional Perspective

Abstract

This paper presents a three-dimensional analysis of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) hybrid nanofluid (HNF) flow over a porous stretching sheet, with the combined effects of thermal radiation and magnetic fields on heat and mass transfer. Using similarity transformations and the Finite Element Method (FEM), the governing equations of momentum, energy, and mass transfer are reformulated and numerically solved. Results demonstrate that increasing the magnetic field parameter (M) from 0.0 to 6.0 leads to a significant thickening of the thermal boundary layer and reduces fluid velocity due to enhanced Lorentz force damping. The temperature profile exhibits slower decay for higher thermal radiation (n = 0.5), indicating efficient radiative heat retention, while higher heat source parameters (q = 0.5) accelerate thermal dissipation. Similarly, increasing the Schmidt number (Sc = 1.0) leads to thinner mass boundary layers due to lower diffusivity, while lower Prandtl numbers (Pr = 1) yield thicker thermal layers compared to higher values (Pr = 7). A comparison with 2023 results shows enhanced accuracy in Sherwood number (Shx) predictions for mass transfer, such as Shx = 1.74370 for M = 0.0 in this study versus 1.74389 in prior literature. These findings underscore the complex interplay between MHD effects, radiation, and porous media and demonstrate the FEM's efficacy in simulating hybrid nanofluid behavior in thermal management system.