Mixed convective viscous dissipative flow of Casson hybrid nanofluid with variable thermal conductivity at the stagnation zone of a rotating sphere

Abstract Mixed convection flows across the revolving bodies have eminent applications in science and technology, such as fibre coating, polymer deposition, centrifugal blood pumps, rotatory machinery, and so forth. In the current work, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow and heat transfer characteristics of Casson hybrid nanofluid (Ag/MgO as nanoparticles) over the rotating sphere at the stagnation zone are being studied. Moreover, an analysis of heat transmission is conducted by considering the influence of thermal radiation, temperature‐dependent thermal conductivity, magnetic field, and viscous dissipation. The relevant partial differential equations are reformed into ordinary differential equations by appropriate transformations, which are solved using the successive linearization method (SLM). The thermal field, velocity components in x and z directions, heat transfer rate, and skin friction coefficient are computed for various physical quantities like rotation parameter mixed convection parameter, radiation parameter, Eckert number, Casson parameter, magnetic parameter, variable thermal conductivity parameter, and so forth. The current findings align well with the literature in a limiting sense. Thermal enhancement in hybrid nanofluid is observed for the viscous dissipation parameter (Ec), thermal conductivity parameter (), and radiation parameter (Rd). The degree of heat transfer rises from 12.8% to 20% when the Casson parameter's value () increases. Also, a decrease of approximately 33% is depicted between the peak values of the velocity magnitude with an increase in rotation parameter.