Numerical investigation of thermally developed MHD flow with pulsation in a channel with multiple constrictions

This article concerns heat transfer analysis in pulsating flow in a channel with walls having multiple symmetric constrictions. The flow is influenced by Lorentz force and thermal radiation. The unsteady governing equations, simplified for low conducting fluids, are solved by the finite difference method using the stream–vorticity function formulation. The effects of the emerging parameters, including the magnetic field parameter (Hartman number), Reynolds number, Prandtl number, and radiation parameter on various flow profiles, are studied. The profiles of dimensionless axial velocity, temperature, wall shear stress (WSS), skin friction coefficient, and local Nusselt number are discussed graphically. The profiles are examined at various prominent axial locations and time instants of the pulse cycle. The WSS has a direct relation with the Hartmann and Strouhal numbers. The WSS generated at the first constriction is higher than that at the second constriction. The WSS increases with an increase in the Strouhal number in the accelerating phase and decreases in the decelerating phase on both the constrictions. The temperature decreases with an increase in the Hartman and Prandtl numbers at the constricted portion of the channel. The radiation parameter directly affects the temperature and inversely affects the Nusselt number at the constricted part of the channel. However, in general, the flow profiles exhibit irregular patterns downstream of the constriction. The Nusselt profiles are higher at the first encountered constriction bump than that at the next bumps.