MHD flow and heat transfer characteristics of Williamson nanofluid over a stretching sheet with variable thickness and variable thermal conductivity

Abstract The magneto hydrodynamic boundary layer flow with heat and mass transfer of Williamson nanofluid over a stretching sheet with variable thickness and variable thermal conductivity under the radiation effect is examined. It is assumed that the sheet is non-flat. The governing partial differential equations are reduced to nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations by applying the suitable similarity transformations. These nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations, subject to the appropriate boundary conditions, are then solved by using spectral quasi-linearisation method (SQLM). The effects of the physical parameters on the flow, heat transfer and nanoparticle concentration characteristics of the problem are presented through graphs and are discussed in detailed. Numerical values of skin friction co-efficient and Nusselt number with different parameters were computed and analysed.