Heat transfer analysis in a horizontal anisotropic porous channel with Bi-viscous Bingham nanofluid and temperature-dependent Brownian diffusion

Purpose The purpose of this article is to present a mathematical model for the fully developed flow of Bi-viscous Bingham nanofluid through a uniform-width anisotropic porous channel. The model incorporates a generalized Brinkman-Darcy formulation for the porous layers while considering the motion of nanoparticles influenced by both Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis effects. Design/methodology/approach The similarity transformations derived through Lie group analysis are used to reduce the system from nonlinear partial differential equations to nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The finite difference method-based numerical routine bvp4c is employed to collect and graphically present the outcomes for velocity, temperature, and nanoparticle concentration profiles. The flow pattern is analyzed through streamlined plots. Furthermore, skin friction, heat, and mass transmission rates are investigated and presented via line plots. Findings It is observed that in anisotropic porous media, the temperature profile is stronger than in isotropic porous media. The thermal anisotropic parameter enhances the concentration profile while reducing the temperature. Practical implications Anisotropy arises in various industrial and natural systems due to factors such as preferred orientation or asymmetric geometry of fibers or grains. Hence, this study has applications in oil extraction processes, certain fibrous and biological materials, geological formations, and dendritic zones formed during the solidification of binary alloys. Originality/value 1. The permeability and thermal conductivity are not constant; instead, they have different values in the x and y directions. 2. This study considers the dependency of thermophoresis on nanoparticle volume fraction and Brownian diffusion on the temperature in both the fluid flow equations and boundary conditions. 3. A novel similarity transformation is derived using Lie group analysis instead of using an existing transformation already available in the literature.