Axisymmetric Stagnation-Point Flow and Heat Transfer of a Viscous Fluid on a Moving Cylinder With Time-Dependent Axial Velocity and Uniform Transpiration

Abstract

The unsteady viscous flow and heat transfer in the vicinity of an axisymmetric stagnation point of an infinite moving cylinder with time-dependent axial velocity and with uniform normal transpiration Uo are investigated. The impinging free stream is steady and with a constant strain rate k̄. An exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations and energy equation is derived in this problem. A reduction of these equations is obtained by use of appropriate transformations for the most general case when the transpiration rate is also time-dependent but results are presented only for uniform values of this quantity. The general self-similar solution is obtained when the axial velocity of the cylinder and its wall temperature or its wall heat flux vary as specified time-dependent functions. In particular, the cylinder may move with constant speed, with exponentially increasing–decreasing axial velocity, with harmonically varying axial speed, or with accelerating–decelerating oscillatory axial speed. For self-similar flow, the surface temperature or its surface heat flux must have the same types of behavior as the cylinder motion. For completeness, sample semisimilar solutions of the unsteady Navier–Stokes and energy equations have been obtained numerically using a finite-difference scheme. Some of these solutions are presented for special cases when the time-dependent axial velocity of the cylinder is a step-function, and a ramp function. All the solutions above are presented for Reynolds numbers, Re=k̄a2/2υ, ranging from 0.1 to 100 for different values of dimensionless transpiration rate, S=Uo/k̄a, where a is cylinder radius and υ is kinematic viscosity of the fluid. Absolute value of the shear-stresses corresponding to all the cases increase with the increase of Reynolds number and suction rate. The maximum value of the shear- stress increases with increasing oscillation frequency and amplitude. An interesting result is obtained in which a cylinder moving with certain exponential axial velocity function at any particular value of Reynolds number and suction rate is axially stress-free. The heat transfer coefficient increases with the increasing suction rate, Reynolds number, Prandtl number, oscillation frequency and amplitude. Interesting means of cooling and heating processes of cylinder surface are obtained using different rates of transpiration. It is shown that a cylinder with certain type of exponential wall temperature exposed to a temperature difference has no heat transfer.