CHIN. PHYS. LETT. Vol. 28, No.

2 (2011) 024701

*
MHD Boundary Layer Slip Flow and Heat Transfer over a Flat Plate
Krishnendu Bhattacharyya** , Swati Mukhopadhyay, G. C. Layek
Department of Mathematics, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan-713104, West Bengal, India

(Received 9 August 2010)

An analysis of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary layer flow and heat transfer over a flat plate with slip
condition at the boundary is presented. A complete self-similar set of equations are obtained from the governing
equations using similarity transformations and are solved by a shooting method. In the boundary slip condition
no local similarity occurs. Velocity and temperature distributions within the boundary layer are presented. Our
analysis reveals that the increase of magnetic and slip parameters reduce the boundary layer thickness and also
enhance the heat transfer from the plate.

PACS: 47.15.Cb, 47.65.−d, 47.45.Gx DOI: 10.1088/0256-307X/28/2/024701

The boundary layer equations play central roles
in many aspects of fluid mechanics since they de-
scribe the motion of a viscous fluid close to the sur-
face. Forced convection over a flat plate has been
widely studied theoretically and experimentally over
the past few decades.[1−6] A numerical investigation of
the classical Blasius flat plate problem was presented
by Cortell.[7] Recently, Batallar[8] and Cortell[9] ex-
tended the Blasius and Sakiadis problems respectively
by studying the effects of radiation on the boundary
layer.
The interaction between electrically conducting
fluid and a magnetic field has been studied very of-
ten in relation to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) gen-
erator pumps, meters, bearings and boundary layer
control by many investigators. Hydro-magnetic be-
haviour of boundary layer along a fixed or moving
plate in the presence of transverse magnetic field is a
basic and important problem in this area. The MHD
flow and heat transfer for a viscous fluid over a plate
also has enormous applications in many engineering
problems such as petroleum industries, plasma stud-
ies, geothermal energy extractions, the boundary layer
control in the field of aerodynamics and many others.
Especially, to control the behaviour of the boundary
layer, several artificial methods have been developed
and out of that, the application of MHD principle is an
important method for affecting the flow field in the de-
sired direction by altering the structure of the bound-
ary layer. The effect of a magnetic field on free con-
vection heat transfer on isothermal vertical plate was
discussed by Sparrow and Cess.[10] Gupta[11] studied
a laminar free convection flow of an electrically con-
ducting fluid past a vertical plate with uniform surface
heat flux and variable wall temperature in the pres-
ence of a magnetic field. Riley[12] investigated the flow
of an electrically conducting fluid on a vertical plate in
the presence of strong magnetic field applied normal
to the flow. Watanabe and Pop[13] explained the hall
effects on an MHD boundary layer flow over a contin-
uous moving flat plate. Damseh et al.[14] obtained the
similarity solution for a forced convection flow with
magnetic field and thermal radiation.
The no-slip boundary condition is known as the
central tenets of the Navier–Stokes theory. However,
there are situations wherein such a condition is not
appropriate. The fluids exhibiting boundary slip find
applications in technology such as in the polishing
of artificial heart valves and internal cavities. Re-
cently, micro-scale fluid dynamics in micro-electro-
mechanical systems (MEMS) received much attention.
In all the aforementioned investigations, the no-
slip condition at the boundary has been assumed. The
non-adherence of the fluid to a solid boundary, also
known as velocity slip, is a phenomenon that has been
observed in certain circumstances. Even in literature,
there is a scarcity of the study of the slip flow over
a flat plate. Martin and Boyd[15] considered the mo-
mentum and heat transfer in a laminar boundary layer
flow over a flat plate under slip boundary condition.
Cao and Baker[16] studied the mixed convective flow
and heat transfer from a vertical plate taking veloc-
ity slip and temperature jump boundary conditions,
and gave local non-similar solutions to the boundary-
layer equations. Recently, Aziz[17] studied a boundary
layer slip flow over a flat plate under constant heat
flux condition at the surface and in his study the lo-
cal similarity appears in the slip boundary condition.
The effects of the slip boundary condition on the flow
of Newtonian fluid due to a stretching sheet were ex-
plained by Andersson[18] and Wang.[19]
Motivated by the above studies, in this Letter
we investigate the slip effect on an MHD boundary
layer flow over a flat plate. Thermal slip is also con-
sidered to give interesting features regarding such a
flow. As the solid surface may be rough, an equiva-
lent slip exists. The no-slip condition is replaced by
Navier’s slip condition where the amount of relative

* Supportedby the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM), DAE, Mumbai, India.
** Towhom correspondence should be addressed. Email: krish.math@yahoo.com; krishnendu.math@gmail.com
○
c 2011 Chinese Physical Society and IOP Publishing Ltd

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 CHIN. PHYS. LETT. Vol. 28, No. 2 (2011) 024701

slip is proportional to the local shear stress. The slip 𝜕𝜓 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝜓 𝜕𝑇 𝜅 𝜕2𝑇

− = . (8)
model of Andersson[18] is taken here in some modi- 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜌𝑐𝑝 𝜕𝑦 2
fied form. A self-similar set of equations are obtained. The boundary conditions of Eq. (4) for the velocity
No local similarity appears in the boundary condi- components reduce to
tions. The equations with the boundary conditions are
then solved numerically using the shooting method. 𝜕𝜓 𝜕2𝜓 𝜕𝜓
The results obtained are then compared with those = 𝐿1 2 , = 0, at 𝑦 = 0;
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥
of Howarth[3] who reported the results for some spe- 𝜕𝜓
cial cases of the present study. Computed numerical → 𝑈∞ as 𝑦 → ∞. (9)
𝜕𝑦
results are plotted and the characteristics of the flow
and heat transfer are thoroughly analyzed. Next, we introduce the dimensionless variables for 𝜓
We consider the steady two-dimensional laminar and 𝑇 as
flow of an electrically conducting viscous incompress- √︀
ible fluid and heat transfer over a flat plate in the 𝜓 = 𝑈∞ 𝜐𝑥𝑓 (𝜂), 𝑇 = 𝑇∞ + (𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞ )𝜃(𝜂), (10)
presence of transverse magnetic field. Using bound-
ary layer approximation, the equations for the MHD where the similarity variable 𝜂 is defined as 𝜂 =
flow and the temperature are written in the usual no- (𝑦/𝑥)(𝑅𝑒𝑥 )1/2 .
tation as In view of relations (10) we finally obtain the self-
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 similar equations
+ = 0, (1)
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
1
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕 2 𝑢 𝜎𝐵 2 𝑓 ′′′ + 𝑓 𝑓 ′′ + 𝑀 (1 − 𝑓 ′ ) = 0, (11)
𝑢 +𝑣 =𝜐 2 + (𝑈∞ − 𝑢), (2) 2
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜌
1
𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇 𝜅 𝜕2𝑇 𝜃′′ + 𝑃 𝑟 𝑓 𝜃′ = 0, (12)
𝑢 +𝑣 = , (3) 2
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜌𝑐𝑝 𝜕𝑦 2
where 𝑀 = 𝜎𝐵02 /𝜌𝑈∞ is the magnetic parameter and
where 𝑢 and 𝑣 are the velocity components in 𝑥- and 𝑦- 𝑃 𝑟 = 𝜇𝑐𝑝 /𝜅 is the Prandtl number.
directions respectively, 𝜐(= 𝜇/𝜌) is the kinematic fluid The boundary conditions (9) and (5) reduce to
viscosity, 𝜌 is the fluid density, 𝜇 is the coefficient of
fluid viscosity, 𝜎 is the constant electrical conductivity 𝑓 (𝜂) = 0, 𝑓 ′ (𝜂) = 𝛿𝑓 ′′ (𝜂) at 𝜂 = 0;
of the fluid, 𝑈∞ is the free stream velocity, 𝑇 is the ′
𝑓 (𝜂) → 1 as 𝜂 → ∞, (13)
temperature, 𝜅 is the thermal conductivity of the fluid ′
𝜃(𝜂) = 1 + 𝛽𝜃 (𝜂) at 𝜂 = 0;
and 𝑐𝑝 is the specific heat. 𝐵(𝑥) is the magnetic field
in the 𝑦-direction and is given by 𝐵(𝑥) = 𝐵0 /(𝑥)1/2 . 𝜃(𝜂) → 0 as 𝜂 → ∞, (14)
The appropriate boundary conditions with partial
slip for the velocity and the temperature are given by where 𝛿 = 𝐿𝑈∞ /𝜐 is the velocity slip parameter and
𝛽 = 𝐷𝑈∞ /𝜐 is the thermal slip parameter.
𝑢 = 𝐿1 (𝜕𝑢/𝜕𝑦), 𝑣=0 at 𝑦 = 0; The nonlinear coupled differential Eqs. (11) and
𝑢 → 𝑈∞ as 𝑦 → ∞, (4) (12) along with the boundary conditions (13) and (14)
form a two point boundary value problem (BVP) and
𝑇 = 𝑇𝑤 + 𝐷1 (𝜕𝑇 /𝜕𝑦) at 𝑦 = 0;
are solved using shooting method, by converting it
𝑇 → 𝑇∞ as 𝑦 → ∞, (5) into an initial value problem (IVP). In this method
where 𝐿1 = 𝐿(𝑅𝑒𝑥 )1/2 is the velocity slip factor and we have to choose a suitable finite value of 𝜂 → ∞,
𝐷1 = 𝐷 (𝑅𝑒𝑥 )1/2 is the thermal slip factor with 𝐿 say 𝜂∞ . We set the following first-order system
and 𝐷 being initial values of velocity and thermal slip 1
factors having the same dimension of length and 𝑅𝑒𝑥 𝑓 ′ = 𝑝, 𝑝′ = 𝑞, 𝑞 ′ = − 𝑓 𝑞 − 𝑀 (1 − 𝑝), (15)
2
being the local Reynolds number and 𝑅𝑒𝑥 = 𝑈∞ 𝑥/𝜐,
𝑇𝑤 is the temperature of the plate and 𝑇∞ is the free 1
𝜃′ = 𝑧,
𝑧 ′ = − 𝑃 𝑟 𝑓 𝑧, (16)
stream temperature, both assumed to be constants. 2
We now introduce the stream function 𝜓(𝑥, 𝑦) as with the boundary conditions
𝜕𝜓 𝜕𝜓 𝑓 (0) = 0, 𝑝(0) = 𝛿𝑞(0), 𝜃(0) = 1 + 𝛽𝑧(0). (17)
𝑢= , 𝑣=− . (6)
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥
To solve Eqs. (15) and (16) with Eq. (17) as an IVP
Now for Eq. (6), the continuity equation (1) is satisfied
we must need values for 𝑞(0), i.e. 𝑓 ′′ (0), and 𝑧(0), i.e.
automatically. Using Eq. (6), the momentum Eq. (2)
𝜃′ (0), but no such values are given. The initial guess
and the temperature Eq. (3) take the forms
values for 𝑓 ′′ (0) and 𝜃′ (0) are chosen and applying
𝜕𝜓 𝜕 2 𝜓 𝜕𝜓 𝜕 2 𝜓 𝜕 3 𝜓 𝜎𝐵 2 𝜕𝜓 the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method the solutions
− 2
=𝜐 3 + (𝑈∞ − ), (7) are obtained. We compare the calculated values of
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜌 𝜕𝑦
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 CHIN. PHYS. LETT. Vol. 28, No. 2 (2011) 024701

𝑓 ′ (𝜂) and 𝜃(𝜂) at 𝜂∞ (= 20) with the given boundary layer because the last term of the momentum equation
conditions 𝑓 ′ (𝜂∞ ) = 1 and 𝜃(𝜂∞ ) = 0 and adjust val- (𝑈∞ − 𝑢) remains positive in the boundary layer re-
ues of 𝑓 ′′ (0) and 𝜃′ (0) using the Secant method to give gion. Here the Lorentz force associated with the mag-
better approximation for the solution. The step size is netic field makes the boundary layer thinner. From
taken as ∆𝜂 = 0.01. The process is repeated until we Fig. 2(b), it is noticed that the temperature 𝜃(𝜂) at
obtain the results correct up to the desired accuracy a point decreases with 𝑀 for slip as well as no-slip
of 10−6 level. conditions. Increase in the magnetic interaction pa-
The numerical computations are performed for rameter 𝑀 causes decrease of the thermal boundary
several values of dimensionless parameters involved in layer thickness.
the equations, viz. the magnetic parameter 𝑀 , the ve-
locity slip parameter 𝛿, thermal slip parameter 𝛽 and 1
(a) (b)
0.7
the Prandtl number 𝑃 𝑟. To illustrate the computed 0.8 0.6
M/⊲֒ Pr/⊲֒ β/⊲

results, some figures are plotted and physical explana- 0.5 δ=0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 4
0.6

f'(η)

f"(η)
tions are given. 0.4
0.4 δ=0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 4
First, for the verification of the accuracy of the ap- 0.3

plied numerical method we compare our results corre- M/⊲֒ Pr/⊲֒ β/⊲
0.2
0.2
0.1
sponding to the velocity and shear stress profiles for
0 0
𝑀 = 0 and 𝛿 = 0 (i.e. in the absence of the magnetic 0 1 2 3
η
4 5 6 0 1 2 3
η
4 5 6

field and slip at the boundary) with the available pub-

Fig. 3. (a) Velocity profiles 𝑓 ′ (𝜂) for various values of 𝛿.
lished results of Howarth[3] in Fig. 1, which are found (b) Shear stress profiles 𝑓 ′′ (𝜂) for various values of 𝛿.
to be in excellent agreement.
1 0
1.0 (a) (b)

0.8 M/⊲֒ Pr/⊲֒ β/⊲ -0.1

0.8 fϕ
fϕ↼η↽֒ fϕϕ↼η↽

Present study -0.2

0.6

θ∋(η)
Howarth[3]
θ(η)

0.6 δ=0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 4

δ=0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 4
0.4 -0.3
0.4
-0.4 M/⊲֒ Pr/⊲֒
0.2
0.2 fϕϕ β/⊲

-0.5
0
0 0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8 10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 η η
η
Fig. 4. (a) Temperature profiles 𝜃(𝜂) for various values
Fig. 1. Velocity 𝑓 ′ (𝜂) and shear stress 𝑓 ′′ (𝜂) profiles for of 𝛿. (b) Temperature gradient profiles 𝜃′ (𝜂) for various
𝑀 = 0 and 𝛿 = 0. values of 𝛿.

1
(a) (b)
Next, we shall pay attention to how the velocity
0.8 Solid line δ=0.2, β=0.1
slip parameter affects the velocity, the shear stress,
Pr/⊲ Broken line δ=0, β=0
the temperature and the temperature gradient pro-
0.6
files. The velocity 𝑓 ′ (𝜂) and shear stress 𝑓 ′′ (𝜂) pro-
f'(η)

θ(η)

0.4 M=0, 0.2, 0.5, 1
Solid line δ=0.2, β=0.1
0.2
Broken line δ=0, β=0
0
0 2 4 6
η η
Fig. 2. (a) Velocity profiles 𝑓 ′ (𝜂) for various values of 𝑀
under the slip and no-slip boundary conditions. (b) Tem-
perature profiles 𝜃(𝜂) for various values of 𝑀 under slip
and no-slip boundary conditions.
Now, we present the influence of the magnetic pa-
rameter 𝑀 on the velocity and temperature profiles
in the presence of slip and in the absence of slip at the
boundary. Figure 2(a) shows the variation in velocity
field for several values of 𝑀 while the temperature dis-
tribution is demonstrated in Fig. 2(b). For both slip
and no-slip cases, the velocity 𝑓 ′ (𝜂) along the plate in-
creases and consequently the thickness of the bound-
ary layer decreases. Thus for both the cases the mag-
netic force enhances the fluid motion in the boundary
M=0, 0.2, 0.5, 1 files for various values of the velocity slip parameter 𝛿
are depicted in Figs. 3(a) and 3(b), respectively. With
Pr/⊲
the increasing values of 𝛿, the fluid velocity increases
0 2 4 6 8
monotonically. Due to the slip condition at the plate
the velocity of fluid adjacent to the plate has some pos-
itive value and accordingly the thickness of boundary
layer decreases. However, the shear stress profile de-
creases with 𝛿. As the slip parameter increases in mag-
nitude, permitting more fluid to slip past the plate,
the flow accelerates for distances close to the plate,
whereas for distances away from the plate the oppo-
site behaviour is true. The case is opposite for shear
stress which is obvious. Figures 4(a) and 4(b) exhibit
the temperature 𝜃(𝜂) and temperature gradient 𝜃′ (𝜂)
profiles respectively for different values of 𝛿. From the
figures it is observed that the temperature decreases
with the increase in velocity slip parameter 𝛿. The en-
hanced velocity due to slip near the plate is the cause
of increasing heat transfer. An interesting behaviour
024701-3
 CHIN. PHYS. LETT. Vol. 28, No. 2 (2011) 024701

for the temperature gradient profile is perceived. The In Figs. 5(b) and 6(a), the effects of thermal slip
magnitude of temperature gradient increases with 𝛿 parameter 𝜃(𝜂) on temperature and temperature gra-
upto 𝜂 ≈ 2.705 and after that point it decreases. dient 𝜃′ (𝜂) are displayed respectively. As the thermal
slip increases, less heat is transferred from the plate
1
(a) (b)
to the fluid and hence the temperature and the mag-
0.8
Solid line δ=0.2, β=0.1 nitude of temperature gradient decrease. In all the
Broken line δ=0, β=0
temperature gradient profiles a common character is
0.6 β=0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 1.3, 2
θ(η)

observed. The magnitudes of the gradient profiles ini-

Pr/⊲֒ ⊲֒ ⊲֒ 
0.4 M/⊲֒ Pr/⊲֒ δ/⊲ tially increase, and for large 𝜂 the curves decreases and
0.2 M/⊲ ultimately goes to zero. As the momentum equation
is independent of 𝜃, no effect of thermal slip 𝛽 on the
0
0 5 10 15 20 1 3 5 7
velocity profiles is noticed.
η η Skin-friction coefficient is one of the interesting
Fig. 5. (a) Temperature profiles 𝜃(𝜂) for various values of physical quantities in evaluating the viscous stress act-
𝑃 𝑟 under slip and no-slip boundary conditions. (b) Tem- ing on the surface of the plate. Skin-friction coef-
perature profiles 𝜃(𝜂) for various values of 𝛽.
ficient 𝑓 ′′ (0) is plotted against the slip parameter 𝛿
for several values of the magnetic parameter 𝑀 in
0
(a) 1 (b) Fig. 6(b). It is apparent that the skin-friction coef-
֓⊲
0.9 Pr=0.5, β=0.1 ficient decreases rapidly and approaches zero as the
0.8
M/⊲֒ M/֒⊲֒⊲֒ slip starts to increase and the magnetic field affects
θ∋(η)

fε↼↽

֓⊲ Pr=0.5, 0.7

δ= 0.1 0.6
conversely, i.e. with increasing 𝑀 it increases. The
֓⊲ 0.5 skin-friction coefficient is the maximum under the no-
0.4 slip condition, which is similar to the observations of
֓⊲ β=0, 0.1,0.3,0.7,1.3,2 0.3 Cao and Baker.[16] In Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), the tempera-
0 2 4
η
6 8 10 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 ture gradient at the plate −𝜃′ (0) which is proportional
δ
to the rate of heat transfer from the plate is plotted
Fig. 6. (a) Temperature gradient profiles 𝜃(𝜂) for various against 𝛿 and 𝛽 respectively for the same values of 𝑀 .
values of 𝛽. (b) Skin-friction coefficient 𝑓 ′′ (0) against 𝛿
for various values of 𝑀 . The rate of heat transfer increases with the increase
of velocity slip as well as magnetic field but most im-
0.46 (a) 0.4
portantly it decreases with 𝛽. The negative value of
(b)
Pr/⊲, δ=0.2 𝜃′ (0) physically explains that there is heat flow from
0.42 0.35 the plate.
−θ∋(0)

M/֒ ⊲֒ ⊲֒ 

0.38 0.3

0.34 M/֒ ⊲֒ ⊲֒  0.25

Pr/⊲, β=0.1
0.3
0.2
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 0
δ β
Fig. 7. (a) Temperature gradient at the plate −𝜃′ (0)
against 𝛿 for various values of 𝑀 . (b) Temperature gra-
dient at the plate −𝜃′ (0) against 𝛽 for various values of 𝑀 .
Figure 5(a) demonstrates the effect of the Prandtl
number to the temperature distribution. The temper-
ature (at a fixed 𝜂) and the thermal boundary layer
thickness rapidly decrease with increasing values of 𝑃 𝑟
under both slip and no slip conditions. An increase in
the Prandtl number means an increase of fluid viscos-
ity, which causes a decrease in the flow velocity and the
temperature decreases. This is consistent with the fact
that the thermal boundary layer thickness decreases
with the increasing Prandtl number. For large value
of 𝑃 𝑟(= 2) the temperature profile shows the negative
nature. This is due to the substantial increase of the
heat transfer from the plate.
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