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Free-convection stagnation-point boundary layers driven by catalytic surface reactions: I the steady states

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Abstract

The free convection boundary-layer flow near a stagnation point driven by catalytic surface heating is considered. The case without fuel consumption is treated first, and it is shown that the steady state equations admit multiple solutions. Explicit expressions can be obtained for these solution branches and it is found that a hysteresis point occurs when the activation energy parameter ε = 1/5. The effect of fuel consumption is seen to be characterized by the dimensionless parameter α and numerical results are obtained for a range of values of α and ε, as well as Prandtl number σ and Schmidt number S c . Multiple solutions are again observed and analytic expressions for the bifurcation points can be found when σ = S c . For σ ≠ S c these have to be determined numerically.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Leeds, U.K.

    M. A. Chaudhary & J. H. Merkin

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  1. M. A. Chaudhary
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  2. J. H. Merkin
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Chaudhary, M.A., Merkin, J.H. Free-convection stagnation-point boundary layers driven by catalytic surface reactions: I the steady states. J Eng Math 28, 145–171 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127583

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127583

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