Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of magnetic field on entropy generation and natural convection inside an enclosure filled with a hybrid nanofluid and having a conducting wavy solid block. Also, the effect of fluid–solid thermal conductivity ratio is investigated. Design/methodology/approach: The governing equations that are formulated in the dimensionless form are discretized via finite volume method. The velocity–pressure coupling is assured by the SIMPLE algorithm. Heat transfer balance is used to verify the convergence. The validation of the numerical results was performed by comparing qualitatively and quantitatively the results with previously published investigations. Findings: The results indicate that the magnetic field and the conductivity ratio of the wavy solid block can significantly affect the dynamic and thermal field and, consequently, the heat transfer rate and entropy generation because of heat transfer, fluid friction and magnetic force. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present numerical study is the first attempt to use hybrid nanofluid for studying the entropy generation because of magnetohydrodynamic natural convective flow in a square cavity with the presence of a wavy circular conductive cylinder. Irreversibilities due to magnetic effect are taken into account. The effect of fluid–solid thermal conductivity ratio is considered.

In the present paper, natural convection in an annulus between two confocal elliptic cylinders filled with a Cu-Al₂O₃/water hybrid nanofluid is investigated numerically. The inner cylinder is heated at a constant surface temperature while the outer wall is isothermally cooled. The basic equations are formulated in elliptic coordinates and developed in terms of the vorticity-stream function formulation using the dimensionless form for 2D, laminar and incompressible flow under steady-state condition. The governing equations are discretized using the finite volume method and solved by an in-house FORTRAN code. Numerical simulations are performed for various volume fractions of nanoparticles (0 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.12) and Rayleigh numbers (10³ ≤ Ra ≤ 3 × 10⁵). The eccentricity of the inner and outer ellipses and the angle of orientation are fixed at e₁ = 0.9, e₂ = 0.6 and γ = 0° respectively. It is found that employing a Cu-Al₂O₃/water hybrid nanofluid is more efficient in heat transfer rate compared to the similar Al₂O₃/water nanofluid.

Mixed convection flow and heat transfer within various cavities including lid-driven walls has many engineering applications. Investigation of such a problem is important in enhancing the performance of the cooling of electric, electronic and nuclear devices and controlling the fluid flow and heat exchange of the solar thermal operations and thermal storage. The main aim of this fundamental investigation is to examine the influence of a two-phase hybrid nanofluid approach on mixed convection characteristics including the consequences of varying Richardson number, number of oscillations, nanoparticle volume fraction, and dimensionless length and dimensionless position of the solid obstacle. The migration of composite hybrid nanoparticles due to the nano-scale forces of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis was taken into account. There is an inner block near the middle of the enclosure, which contributes toward the flow, heat, and mass transfer. The top lid cover wall of the enclosure is allowed to move which induces a mixed convection flow. The impact of the migration of hybrid nanoparticles with regard to heat transfer is also conveyed in the conservation of energy. The governing equations are molded into the non-dimensional pattern and then explained using the finite element technique. The effect of various non-dimensional parameters such as the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the wave number of walls, and the Richardson number on the heat transfer and the concentration distribution of nanoparticles are examined. Various case studies for Al2O3-Cu/water hybrid nanofluids are performed. The results reveal that the temperature gradient could induce a notable concentration variation in the enclosure. The location of the solid block and undulation of surfaces are valuable in the control of the heat transfer and the concentration distribution of the composite nanoparticles.