Taylor wavelet method for magnetohydrodynamic flow of chemically reactive Maxwell fluids: coupled effects of Soret diffusion and Joule heating

This study investigates the steady, laminar, two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic boundary-layer flow of a chemically reactive Maxwell fluid over a stretching sheet, accounting for Joule heating, viscous dissipation, and Soret diffusion. The flow is assumed incompressible, and the induced magnetic field is neglected. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using similarity transformations and solved numerically using the Taylor wavelet method (TWM). The method’s convergence, accuracy, and stability are verified through matrix order studies and comparisons with previously published results. The effects of key physical parameters, including the magnetic parameter, Maxwell fluid relaxation parameter, Prandtl and Schmidt numbers, Eckert number, Soret number, and chemical reaction parameter, on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles, as well as on engineering quantities such as skin-friction, Nusselt, and Sherwood numbers, are systematically analyzed. Results indicate that both magnetic and viscoelastic effects retard fluid motion, while Joule heating and viscous dissipation enhance temperature. Thermal and solutal transport are significantly influenced by the Prandtl, Schmidt, and Soret numbers, with chemical reactions reducing the solute concentration near the surface. The study demonstrates the robustness, computational efficiency, and high accuracy of TWM for solving complex boundary-layer problems in non-Newtonian MHD flows.