ANN-assisted analysis of coupled FHD-MHD radiative ferrofluid convection with nonlinear thermal radiation and external magnetic field considering crescent-shaped heaters

Purpose Magnetically controlled ferrofluid convection is central to advanced thermal technologies such as electronic cooling, microfluidic actuators, magnetic energy systems and smart heat exchangers, where precise heat transfer control is required. This study aims to numerically investigate ferrohydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic buoyancy-driven convection of a ferrofluid inside an enclosure equipped with internal crescent-shaped heaters, considering the combined effects of magnetic forces and nonlinear thermal radiation. Design/methodology/approach The governing equations are solved using the finite element method, and the impacts of the Rayleigh number, Hartmann number, radiation parameter, Eckert number, corrugated cooler’s length and heater configuration are systematically examined. In addition, a Multilayer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is developed and validated to anticipate heat transfer features, offering a reliable surrogate model for parametric exploration and optimization. Findings The results show that increasing buoyancy and thermal radiation strengthens circulation cells and enhances heat transfer, while strong magnetic fields suppress flow intensity and shift the transport mechanism toward conduction-radiation dominance. Heater arrangement is found to play a decisive role in shaping flow topology, with vertically aligned heaters generating stronger vortices and higher Nusselt numbers than other configurations. An ANN is developed and validated against numerical data, demonstrating high predictive accuracy and providing an efficient surrogate tool for rapid prediction and optimization of magneto-thermal systems. Originality/value The current work presents a detailed ANN-assisted numerical study of coupled FHD and MHD buoyancy-driven convection within a ferrofluid-loaded octagon-shaped enclosure comprising internal crescent-shaped heaters under nonlinear thermal radiation effects, which has received limited attention in the literature.