Computational analysis of magnetohydrodynamic buoyancy-driven flow and thermal transmission within a circular dome-shaped porous enclosure using finite difference scheme

Purpose Heat transfer efficiency is crucial for enhancing device performance across various engineering and industrial sectors, including high-performance heat exchangers, solar collectors, electronic components, nuclear reactors, space thermal management and lithium-ion batteries, which have posed challenges in recent years. Natural convection is one of the significant ways to boost cooling efficiency in these domains. Motivated by this application, this study aims to examine the efficiency of thermal flow in a porous circular dome-shaped cavity under the influence of Lorentz force and thermal radiation. Design/methodology/approach Designing the flow model plays an important role in enhancing heat transfer performance, which will have a considerable impact on energy usage. The partial differential equations are discretized using the finite difference approximation. The computational simulations have been conducted for different key parameter values including Rayleigh numbers (103 ≤ Ra ≤ 106), Darcy numbers (10−4 ≤ Da ≤ 10−1), radiation parameters (0 ≤ Rd ≤ 5), heat generation/absorption coefficient (−5 ≤ Q ≤ 5) and Hartmann numbers (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 30). The flow and temperature distributions are analyzed in the presence and absence of thermal radiation, as well as heat generation and absorption. Findings Remarkably, intriguing observations are noticed in the flow circulation and thermal efficiency when applying high magnetic forces within the flow domain. The flow velocity increases significantly with a rise in buoyancy-driven force and Darcy number. As the Rayleigh number boosts from 103–106, the average heat transfer rate improves by 134.38%, while it decreases by 84.92% while augmenting the magnetic parameter from 0 to 30. The heat transmission performance monotonically improves by enlarging the heat source parameters, and insignificant changes are noticed by enhancing the heat sink parameter. Practical implications The findings of this investigation can be beneficial for controlling thermal transmission characteristics in various industrial and engineering applications, including heat transfer equipment’s such as cooling electronic components, nuclear reactors, heat exchangers, steam generator tubes and solar power collectors. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the researchers have not yet examined the efficiency of magnetohydrodynamic free convection fluid flow and temperature distribution within the porous, circular, dome-shaped enclosure influenced by heat source/sink and thermal radiation.