Study of MHD Nanofluid Flow over a Horizontal Stretching Plate by Analytical Methods

Abstract The nonlinear two-dimensional forced-convection boundary-layer magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) incompressible flow of nanofluid over a horizontal stretching flat plate with variable magnetic field including the viscous dissipation effect is solved using the Variational iteration method (VIM), homotopy perturbation method (HPM) and Adomian decomposition method (ADM). In the paper, our results of the VIM, HPM and ADM are compared with the numerical method (Runge-Kutta fourth-rate). Also the influence of physical factors such as m, Eckert number (Ec) and the percentage of nanoparticles (φ) on the velocity and temperature profiles have been investigated. The comparisons of the results show that the HPM has the capability of solving the nonlinear boundary layer MHD flow of nanofluid with sufficient accuracy. The results show with increasing of the parameter m, velocity decreases but for temperature the reverse trend is observed and also with increasing of nanoparticles volume, the temperature value decreases and the velocity value increases. Also with increasing of Eckert number, the temperature value increases.