Effects of Particulate Diffusion on the Compressible Boundary-Layer Flow of a Two-Phase Suspension Over a Horizontal Surface

Abstract

The problem of steady, laminar, compressible flow and heat transfer of a particulate suspension past a semi-infinite horizontal flat surface is formulated and solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme. The mathematical formulation of the governing equations is based on the Eulerian description familiar from fluid mechanics where both phases are treated as two separate interacting continua. These equations account for Brownian diffusion which is important when the particle phase consists of very tiny particles and allow for a general power-law fluid-phase viscosity-temperature and particle-phase diffusion-temperature relations. Obtained flow and heat transfer results are illustrated graphically to show interesting features of this type of flow.