Heat transfer analysis through the convective surface with magnetic dipole and activation energy

Purpose Activation energy represents the minimum energy necessary to initiate a chemical process within a system. In nanofluid research, nanoparticles are incorporated into fluid models, where activation energy plays a crucial role in triggering chemical reactions that facilitate the movement and behavior of nanomaterials in the system. Design/methodology/approach This paper is concerned with examining the Oldroyd-B nanofluid slip flow process over a porous convective expanding sheet. Heat generation, thermal radiation and activation energy are just a few of the effects incorporated into the analysis to enhance the understanding of heat and mass transport. Impact of magnetic dipole is also studied in the presence of zero mass flux over the surface of the sheet. Nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are initially generated from the partial differential equations (PDEs) with convective boundary conditions by similarity transformation. The resultant nonlinear ODEs are then solved in MATLAB using the integrated bvp4c solver. Findings Remarkably, the concentration profile has an amplifying impact when the reaction rate constant is enhanced. Further, an increase in the dipole’s distance from the sheet and a rise in the Curie temperature result in a decrease in both the Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. Also, there is 17% and 16% increase in the heat and mass transfer rate over the sheet in the presence of magnetic diploe interaction parameter. Research limitations/implications This article thoroughly examines the effects of several physical factors on the profiles of velocity, concentration, Nusselt number (Nu) and temperature. Thermophoresis parameter, magnetic parameter, Brownian motion, Prandtl number, reaction rate constant, activation energy and Biot number are some of these parameters. Originality/value This work is original and has not been submitted anywhere nor published yet.