Boundary Layer Analysis of MHD Heat and Mass Transfer with Soret and Dufour Effects on a Wedge Surface

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), Soret (thermal diffusion), and Dufour (diffusion-thermo) effects on heat and mass transfer in an electrically conducting nanofluid flow past a wedge. The governing equations for momentum, energy, and species transport are derived from first principles and transformed into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations through similarity transformations. These equations are solved numerically using a Runge–Kutta-based shooting technique. The findings indicate that increasing the magnetic parameter suppresses velocity while enhancing thermal and concentration boundary layers. The Soret effect elevates concentration distributions, whereas the Dufour effect increases the thermal field, demonstrating strong cross-diffusion coupling. The Prandtl and Schmidt numbers were found to control the thinning of thermal and solutal boundary layers, respectively. A comparison of the present numerical results with previously reported benchmark solutions shows excellent agreement, validating the accuracy of the method and extending earlier studies by incorporating coupled MHD, Soret, and Dufour effects.