Experimental and numerical study of thermal analysis of Al2O3/C2H6O2 nanofluid with porous medium in corrugated converge-diverge enclosure with magnetohydrodynamic effect

Purpose This study aims to investigate experimentally and numerically the thermal analysis of a wavy diverging-converging corrugated enclosure, partitioned into two parts under the effect of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) natural convection. The left part was filled with Al2O3/C2H6O2 nanofluid, while the right part was Al2O3/C2H6O2 saturated by a porous medium, featuring a corrugated cylinder at the center. This system is relevant to many engineering applications. Key factors affecting thermal performance, such as nanofluid volume fraction, Darcy number, Hartmann number, inclination angle of MHD and Rayleigh number, were analyzed. This study evaluated the impact of these parameters on stream function, average Nusselt number and isothermal lines under three heat source scenarios: heating the corrugated cylinder, heating the magnetic source and heating the nanofluid, porous media and corrugated walls. Design/methodology/approach The main governing equations for the nanofluid flow are mass, momentum and heat transfer, while the porous media are modeled using the Darcy–Brinkmann model. These governing equations are transformed into a dimensionless form and solved numerically using COMSOL 6.0 based on the finite-element method. Dynamic viscosity, density and thermal conductivity equations are used to calculate the properties of the nanofluid at different volume concentrations. Findings The results showed that increasing the Rayleigh number (Ra) and Darcy number (Da) increased the Nusselt number by 55%, indicating enhanced heat transfer. A vertical magnetic source (γ = 90°) further improved thermal performance. Conversely, thermal performance decreased with increasing Hartmann number (Ha). The highest Nusselt number was observed when the heat source was applied to the corrugated cylinder, followed by the right side with nanofluid–porous contact and was lowest for the left side with nanofluid contact. Experimental data demonstrated that the presence of a magnetic field can significantly increase the temperature, thereby enhancing heat transfer by natural convection, particularly when the heat source is applied in the region of nanofluid–porous contact. Originality/value The primary originality of this work lies in the use of a novel design featuring a diverging-converging structure with a wavy wall. In addition, it uses two types of fluids simultaneously, dividing the enclosure into two sections: the right side contains nanofluid mixed with a porous medium, while the left side is filled with nanofluid only. The system also includes a corrugated cylinder at its center with four undulations. The position of the heat source significantly influences heat dissipation. Therefore, three different positions were examined: heating the cylinder at a constant temperature, heating the left side of the enclosure and heating the right side.