Thermal characteristics of electromagnetohydrodynamic flows in narrow channels with viscous dissipation and Joule heating under constant wall heat flux

The present paper critically analyzes, for the first time, the heat transfer characteristics associated with thermally fully developed combined electromagnetohydrodynamic flows through narrow flow conduits, considering electrokinetics effects, for the constant wall heat flux condition. In order to maintain the generality of the problem under consideration, the liquid flow is actuated by a combination of imposed pressure-gradient, electrokinetic effects and additional electromagnetic interactions. The alterations in the thermal transport phenomenon, induced by the variations in the imposed electromagnetic effects are thoroughly explained, in a pin-pointed manner, through an elegant analytical formalism. The essential features of the electromagnetohydrodynamic flow, and associated heat transfer characteristics, through the narrow confinement, are clearly highlighted by the variations in the non-dimensional flow velocity, non-dimensional temperature profile and the Nusselt number. Moreover, the influence of the imposed electromagnetic effects on micro/nano-scale thermal transport characteristics is clearly differentiated from other inherent effects like Joule heating and viscous dissipation. The implications of the constant wall temperature condition are also briefly discussed. The present endeavor has far-reaching implications towards the development of state-of-the-art electro-magneto-mechanical devices, with improved efficiency and functionality, for applications in the field of micro-scale thermal management. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.