Soret and Dufour Effects on Natural Convection Flow Past a Vertical Surface in a Porous Medium with Variable Surface Temperature

Abstract

Problem statement: In this research the researchers studied and made an analysis to the heat and mass transfer characteristics of natural convection about a vertical surface embedded in a saturated porous medium with surface temperature distribution proportional to x^λ by taking into account the diffusion-thermo (Dufour) and thermal-diffusion (Soret) effects. Approach: The governing partial differential equations were transformed into a set of coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations, which were solved numerically using the modified fourth order Runge-Kutta method along with Nachtsheim-Swigert shooting technique. Results: Numerical results were presented for the distribution of velocity, temperature and concentration profiles within the boundary layer. Conclusion: The effects of varying the parameter λ, the sustentation parameter, N, the Lewis number, Le, the Dufour number, Df and Soret number, Sc on the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles of thermally assisting flows and thermally opposing flows were examined.