ABSTRACT

The flow of a micropolar fluid past a rigid sphere and the conjugate heat transfer from the sphere to the micropolar fluid are investigated numerically for moderate Reynolds numbers. The results indicate that the flow field is governed by the parameter that characterizes the interaction between the fluid and the sphere's surface, α. For α = 1 the flow is similar to that of a Newtonian fluid. The influence of the non-Newtonian effects increases when 0 ≤ α < 1. The effects of non-Newtonian fluid parameters on the heat transfer rate depend on the thermal wake phenomenon.