Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of Cu-Al2O3/water hybrid nanofluid convection, multisegmented heating, magnetic fields and cavity orientation on heat transfer within porous systems. The work seeks to improve thermal efficiency and offer valuable insights for the design of advanced thermal systems, with potential applications in electronic cooling, energy storage and heat exchangers. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the objective, a finite volume technique with the SIMPLER algorithm is used, considering parameters including Hartmann number (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 70), cavity angle (0°≤ γ ≤ 180°), magnetic field orientation (0° ≤ δ ≤ 180°) and segment width (0 ≤ wb ≤ 1). Results indicate that maximum heat transfer occurs at vertical orientation (γ = 90°), with up to 52% enhancement compared to horizontal orientation. Simulations analyze the impact of magnetic field strength, heater configurations and cavity orientations on heat transfer, offering a detailed assessment of how these variables interact to influence thermal-fluid behavior in the system. Findings The results indicate that the highest heat transfer is achieved when the cavity is oriented vertically (γ = 90°), with a 52% increase compared to horizontal orientation. The middle-middle heater arrangement produces up to approx. 70% improvement in heat transfer over other configurations. Multisegmented heating boosts thermal efficiency by up to 242%. The inclusion of a magnetic field leads to a 19% reduction in heat transfer compared to nonmagnetic (Ha = 0) conditions. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that multibanding magnetic field arrangements provide better control over heat transfer by adjusting band number, width and position. Research limitations/implications This research is constrained by steady-state assumptions, ignoring the thermal radiation effects. It examines only steady-state conditions with specific parameter ranges, necessitating experimental validation for wider applicability. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights for the development of thermal systems requiring precise thermal control, including applications in electronic cooling, energy storage and heat exchangers. It highlights the potential for optimizing cavity orientation, heating arrangements and magnetic field configurations to improve thermal efficiency and enhance heat transfer in various engineering fields. Originality/value This work establishes four substantive novelties: (1) Systematic cavity inclination (0°–180°) paired with segmented bilateral heating on flat walls – revealing 52% orientation-dependent heat transfer variation previously unexplored; (2) Magnetic field orientation (δ = 0°–180°) as independent control parameter – demonstrating 18 percentage-point thermal recovery through field-cavity alignment for constrained geometries; (3) Boundary-layer stop-and-restart mechanism – enabling 242% enhancement through mechanistic thermal restart at segment interfaces; (4) Multiparameter joint optimization – producing nonlinear coupling effects unpredictable from independent parameter analysis. These contributions address unasked questions in previously unexamined geometric configurations directly applicable to real-world constrained-geometry thermal systems
Mondal et al. (Tue,) studied this question.