Numerical Investigation of Mass and Heat Transfer in Ternary Hybrid Nanofluid Flow With Activation Energy

Ternary hybrid nanofluids (THNFs) are modern fluids introduced to enhance the performance of conventional hybrid nanofluids (HNFs). Their unique properties make them suitable for diverse applications, ranging from heat exchangers to advanced industrial and medical treatments. Due to the practical applications and innovative features of THNFs, this paper aims to analyze the performance of these fluids to improve the efficiency of modern devices. The THNF is formulated by adding nanoparticles of three different kinds of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), silicon dioxide (SiO₂), and copper (Cu) into water (H₂O) based ethylene glycol (C₂H₆O₂). The momentum equation is formulated considering the influences of Darcy Forchheimer, permeability, and magnetic field. Thermal radiation, intermolecular friction force, and Joule heating effects are accounted in the thermal field equation. Mass concentration relation is acquired considering binary chemical reaction and activation energy (AE). Additionally, the influence of stratifications (thermal and solutal) at the boundary of the cylinder is considered. The physical phenomenon representing partial differential equations is reduced into ordinary ones utilizing the transformations and then solved via Runge–Kutta Fehlberg (RKF-45) numerical scheme in Mathematics. Influence of involved sundry variables on HNF and THNF velocity, thermal field, mass concentration, surface drag force (skin friction coefficient), mass, and heat transfer rates were examined. The results showed that the velocity fields of THNF and HNF decay through variables Darcy Forchheimer, porosity, and Hartman number. Thermal field of THNF and HNF improves via radiation parameter, Eckert number, and Hartman number. Local heat transfer rate upsurges versus curvature variable and Prandtl number.