Computation of Eyring-Powell micropolar convective boundary layer flow from an inverted non-isothermal cone : thermal polymer coating simulation

Thermal coating of components with non-Newtonian materials is a rich area of chemical and processmechanical engineering. Many different rheological characteristics can be simulated for such coatings with avariety of different mathematical models. In this work we study the steady-state coating flow and heat transferof a non-Newtonian liquid (polymer) on an inverted isothermal cone with variable wall temperature. TheEringen micropolar and three-parameter Eyring-Powell models are combined to simulate microstructural andshear characteristics of the polymer. The governing partial differential conservation equations and wall and freestream boundary conditions are rendered into dimensionless form and solved computationally with the KellerBox finite difference method (FDM). Validation with earlier Newtonian solutions from the literature is alsoincluded. Graphical and tabulated results are presented to study the variations of fluid velocity, micro-rotation(angular velocity), temperature, skin friction, wall couple stress (micro-rotation gradient) and wall heat transferrate. With increasing values of the first Eyring-Powell parameter temperatures are elevated, micro-rotation issuppressed and velocities are enhanced near the cone surface but reduced further into the boundary layer.Increasing values of the second Eyring-Powell parameter induce strong flow deceleration, decrease temperaturesbut enhance micro-rotation values. An increase in non-isothermal power law index suppresses velocities,temperatures and micro-rotations i.e. all transport characteristics are maximum for the isothermal case (n =0).Increasing Eringen vortex viscosity parameter significantly enhances temperatures and also micro-rotations. Thepresent numerical simulations find applications in thermal polymer coating operations and industrial depositiontechniques and provide a useful benchmark for more general computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations