Jeffrey, Maxwell, and Micropolar Tri-Hybrid Nanofluid Heat and Mass Transfer Behavior of Mixed Convection Flow past a Vertical Porous Surface

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of heat and mass transfer in mixed convection flow of a tri-hybrid nanofluid past a vertical porous stretching surface. The non-Newtonian base fluid is modeled using three rheological frameworks: Jeffrey, Maxwell, and Micropolar models. Soret and Dufour effects, along with variable temperature and concentration fields, are incorporated. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations via similarity variables. The resulting system is solved using the MATLAB bvp4c finite-difference collocation scheme, ensuring high numerical accuracy and stability. The tri-hybrid nanofluid comprises Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs), Molydenium disulphide (MoS₂), and Graphene Oxide (GO) in water with a total nanoparticle volume fraction of 0.03. Results show that Maxwell fluids provide the highest Nusselt number enhancement (up to 24.6%) under opposing flow, whereas Jeffrey fluids yield superior mass transfer with 18-22% Sherwood number gains in assisting flows. Suction enhances skin friction by 15-20%, while injection reduces boundary-layer thickness by about 30%. A fractional derivative model is also introduced to capture memory and hereditary effects more accurately. The findings offer valuable insights for optimizing thermal systems employing advanced non-Newtonian tri-hybrid nanofluids.