Magnetically Tuned Vortex Dynamics and Thermal Transport in a Hybrid Nanofluid-Filled Lid-Driven Cavity

Ahmad, Shabbir; Ali, Kashif; Rashid, Farhan Lafta; Mohamed, Sherain; Selim, Mahmoud M; Muflh, Blgys A.

doi:10.22059/jcamech.2026.424028.1977

Magnetically Tuned Vortex Dynamics and Thermal Transport in a Hybrid Nanofluid-Filled Lid-Driven Cavity

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Shabbir Ahmad ¹

Kashif Ali ²

Farhan Lafta Rashid ³

Sherain Mohamed ⁴

Mahmoud M Selim ⁴

Blgys A. Muflh ⁴

¹ Graduate Program of Ocean Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, 96201-900, Brasil

² Center for Computational Sciences - C3, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, 96201-900, Brasil

³ Petroleum Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Kerbala, Karbala 56001, Iraq

⁴ Department of Mathematics, College of Science and Humanities, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 710, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia

10.22059/jcamech.2026.424028.1977

Abstract

Efficient control of fluid mixing and heat transport is a major challenge in modern thermal engineering systems, including electronic cooling devices, heat exchangers, thermal energy storage units, and industrial processing equipment. In lid-driven cavities, vortex formation plays a fundamental role in improving convective heat transfer by enhancing fluid circulation and promoting thermal mixing between hot and cold regions. The introduction of localized magnetic fields provides an additional mechanism for controlling these vortical structures through Lorentz-force-driven flow modification. In electrically conducting hybrid nanofluids, the interaction between the magnetic field and fluid motion can significantly alter vortex dynamics, leading to enhanced thermal transport and improved heat transfer performance. Motivated by these practical and scientific considerations, the present study numerically investigates the influence of localized magnetic fields on vortex formation and heat transfer enhancement inside a two-dimensional lid-driven cavity filled with Ag–Fe₃O₄/water hybrid nanofluid. The governing equations are transformed into dimensionless form using the stream–vorticity formulation and solved through the Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) scheme. The effects of the magnetic interaction parameter (Mn), Reynolds number (Re), magnetic strip width (L), and nanoparticle volume fractions on streamline structures, isotherms, skin friction coefficient, and Nusselt number are examined. The results reveal that localized magnetic fields significantly modify vortex dynamics and thermal transport within the cavity. Increasing the magnetic interaction parameter strengthens Lorentz-force-induced recirculation zones and improves thermal mixing near the magnetic strips. The Reynolds number considerably enhances convective heat transfer, while the magnetic strip width strongly influences vortex interaction and heat transfer enhancement. The average Nusselt number efficiency increases by approximately 354% with increasing Reynolds number and by about 30% for optimized magnetic strip width. Furthermore, increasing nanoparticle concentration substantially improves the thermal performance of the hybrid nanofluid. The findings demonstrate that localized magnetic fields provide an effective mechanism for controlling vortex structures and enhancing heat transfer in hybrid nanofluid-filled enclosures.

Keywords

Hybrid nanofluids

Vortex Formation

Nanofluidic

Efficiency

Single-phase model

Localized magnetic field

Subjects

Nano-fluid, phenomena wetting phenomena, numerical methods

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