Heat and mass transfer in asymmetric channels during peristaltic transport of an MHD fluid having temperature-dependent properties

Of concern in the paper is a study on the peristaltic transport of a magnetohydrodynamic fluid at low Reynolds number in an asymmetric channel. The study is motivated by the phenomenon of peristalsis that is prominent in the flow of some physiological fluids in the human body. The viscosity of the fluid is considered dependent on temperature. The associated problems of heat and mass transfer during the flow of the fluid are also taken into account. The study has been carried out for long wavelength of the peristaltic motion. By using perturbation technique, series solutions have been obtained for stream function, velocity, pressure gradient, shear stress and pressure rise per wavelength. Pumping characteristics and the phenomenon of trapping are also adequately discussed. In order to illustrate the validity of the theoretical study, numerical results have been computed for a specific situation by using MATHEMATICA software. The study reveals that the volume of the trapped bolus diminishes with increase in Hartmann number, Reynolds number, fluid viscosity and Schmidt number but decreases with increasing phase difference. It is seen that the results of the study conform very well to those of previous studies reported in available scientific literatures. Keywords: Peristaltic transport, Physiological fluids, MHD flow, Heat and mass transfer, Perturbation techniqu