Effects of thermophoresis and Brownian motion on nanofluid heat transfer and entropy generation

In this paper, entropy generation of kerosene-alumina nanofluid in a channel with thermal radiation is studied. The significant influences of Brownian motion and thermophoresis have been included in the model of nanofluid. Nonlinear ordinary differential equations have been obtained by means of similarity solution. These equations subjected to the associated boundary conditions are solved analytically using Differential Transformation Method. The effects of radiation parameter, viscosity parameter, thermophoretic parameter, Brownian parameter and Eckert number on flow, heat and mass characteristics are studied. Results indicate that Bejan number is an increasing function of viscosity parameter while it is a decreasing function of other active parameters. Nussek number decreases with an increase of radiation parameter, thermophoretic parameter, Brownian parameter and Eckert number. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.