Heat transfer to unsteady magneto-hydrodynamic flow past an infinite moving vertical plate with variable suction

The paper considers the free convection heat transfer due to the combined action of radiation and a transverse magnetic field with variable suction. We adopt the differential approximation to describe the radiative flux in the energy equation. The governing coupled partial differential equations are linearized on the assumption that the flow variables are linear functions of the Eckert number E c and analytical closed form solutions are sought approximately for the velocity, temperature, surface skin friction and the rate of heat transfer assuming an optically thin medium. Results obtained indicate that increasing the plate velocity increases the flow velocity with this increase being more dramatic for higher values of the free convection. These results are in good agreement with earlier results reported in the literature and correct an omission in some previously reported works.