Bio-Convective Flow of Micropolar Nanofluids over an Inclined Permeable Stretching Surface with Radiative Activation Energy

Abstract

The focal concern of this study is to examine the behaviour of bio-convective flow featuring micropolar nanofluids over an inclined permeable stretching surface while considering the influence of radiative activation energy. This investigation addresses the complex interplay of factors such as biological activity, convective heat and mass transfer, unique attributes of micropolar fluids, the dynamics of nanofluids, and radiative effects. This analysis employed Buongiorno’s model, considering thermal radiation and activation energy on the bioconvective flow of micropolar nanofluids over an inclined stretching surface. Some suitable similarity variables were used to obtain a set of non-linear differential equations from the initial partial differential equations which were then solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta Fehberg method along with shooting technique. The effects of some physical parameters were examined on the velocity, temperature, concentration, and microorganism density profiles of the flow. The result revealed that each increase in the heat source/sink, thermal radiation, thermophoresis, and Brownian motion lead to a corresponding increase in the thermal boundary layer; activation energy increased the concentration while Peclet number and bioconvective Lewis number declined the microorganism density profile. Insights gleaned from this study can find applications in biomedical fields. Understanding the behavior of bio-convective nanofluids has implications for controlled heat transfer in medical applications like hyperthermia treatments or targeted drug delivery, thereby impacting patient care.