Joule heating and entropy generation on AC electroosmotic flow of Jeffrey fluid in a slowly varying micro-channel

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the impact of joule heating and entropy generation on a time-periodic electroosmotic flow of viscoelastic fluids in a slowly varying microchannel under the influence of a magnetic field. We consider the Jeffrey fluid model, which describes the linear viscoelastic fluid, and an effort is made to obtain the analytical solutions, considering velocity and thermal slip conditions at the fluid–solid interface. The study reveals that the relaxation and retardation times in the Jeffrey fluid have a significant effect on the axial velocity and temperature distribution within the microchannel. Further, we observed that the Joule heating contributes to enhanced thermal response in both temperature distribution and Nusselt number, leading to increased entropy generation. The Bejan number profiles enhance with an increase in the Joule heating parameter due to the conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy. The velocity slip enhances the rate of heat transfer and entropy generation, while these quantities decrease with the thermal slip. The present study on AC electroosmosis and electrothermal flow shows significant promise as a fluid-driven technique in microfluidics for future endeavors.