Numerical investigation of cilia beating modulated flow of magnetized viscous fluid in a curved channel with variable thermal conductivity

Abstract

Cilia flow plays a crucial role in biological systems such as the movement of mucus in the respiratory tract, circulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, and propulsion of sperm cells. Understanding the cilia flow of viscous fluids is essential for elucidating the biomechanics of these processes and their implications for health and disease. Motivated by such numerous biomedical applications, this article aims to exhibit the impact of variable thermal conductivity on the mixed convective cilia beating transport of viscous fluid in a curved channel in the presence of radial magnetic field. The energy equation is also modulated with heat source/sink and viscous dissipation impacts. The constitutive equations are simplified by the hypothesis of lubrication approximation theory and then solved numerically using the implicit finite difference method (FDM). The numerical results concerning the impacts of various physical parameters on the velocity, temperature, pumping phenomena, and streamlines are graphed and explained. The obtained results indicate that as the Hartman number upsurges, fluid velocity reduces, and the Brickman number shows stronger viscous dissipation effects, leading to an increase in the fluid temperature.

Keywords

• Cilia-induced flow
• Viscous fluid
• Variable thermal conductivity
• Curved channel
• Finite difference method