Insight into the convective heat transport in magnetohydrodynamic Casson liquid inside a wavy channel

This study explores the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) behavior of a non-Newtonian Casson fluid flowing through a wavy channel featuring a localized heat source at the bottom wall, with emphasis on the interplay between magnetic field effects and thermal transport characteristics. Vorticity-stream function method is employed to derive the vorticity transport equation along with stream function equation. The resulting coupled, nonlinear MHD and the energy equation together with physically relevant boundary conditions are solved numerically using finite difference technique. The key flow parameters, viz., Reynolds number (Re), Rayleigh number (Ra), Casson parameter (β), Hartmann number (Ha), and Prandtl number (Pr), have noteworthy impacts on the motion of the fluid and on the thermal distribution. Results indicate that with an amplification in the Casson parameter (β), fluid velocity is amplified in magnitude and a lessening in the breadth of the thermal boundary layer close to the heater is noted. Suppressive behaviour of the Lorentz force on convection causes the decline of rate of heat transport with rising Hartmann number (Ha). Additionally, a reduction in backflow region is experienced due to ascending Prandtl number (Pr) and Reynolds number (Re). Further, it is established that average Nusselt number [Formula: see text] is a growing function of Re and Pr, demonstrating improved heat transport characteristics under these conditions.