Abstract

In the present investigation, a numerical study of the flow and heat transfer analysis of viscoelastic second grade fluid due to heated, continuous stretching of a vertical sheet has been carried out. The stretching velocity is assumed to vary linearly with the distance measured from the leading edge. The surface heat flux is assumed to be varied in power of distance measured from the leading edge. The governing differential equations are transformed by introducing proper non-similarity variables and solved numerically using two different methods, namely, the local non-similarity method with second level of truncation and the implicit finite difference method for values of ξ (=Gr_x/Re_x²) ranging from 0 to 10. The comparisons of the results obtained by the aforementioned methods are found in excellent agreement. Effects of the viscoelastic parameter, λ (Deborah number) on the skin-friction and the heat transfer coefficients have been shown graphically for the fluid with Prandtl number equal to 0.7, 7.03 and 15.0.

Keywords: Mixed convection, second grade fluid, stretching flat surface and variable surface heat flux.