Influence of magnetic field on heat and mass transfer in Ree-Eyring fluid flow induced by membrane contractions

Abstract

The present study emphasises the impact of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) on Ree-Eyring fluid flow driven by membrane deformations in a microchannel, with heat and mass transfer effects. The upper wall of the channel is modelled as a deforming wall that undergoes periodic membrane contractions, driving unidirectional fluid flow relevant to various physiological transport processes, whereas the bottom wall remains stationary. The flow is generated due to a pressure gradient caused by periodic membrane deformations. The governing equations in this study consist of the conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and mass transport equations. Analytical solutions are derived to describe the flow velocities, heat and mass transfer, development of pressure gradient, shear stress, net flow rate, and streamlines. Additionally, a parametric analysis is conducted using MATLAB R2024a software to examine the influence of Ree-Eyring fluid parameter, magnetic field parameter and membrane shape component on the flow characteristics. The results reveal that interaction among these key parameters significantly impacts flow characteristics. These findings shed light on optimising valveless pumping mechanisms for microscale fluid transport applications, which could impact biomedical devices, lab-on-a-chip systems, and microfluidic technologies that require precise fluid transport control.