A new kind of boundary layer flow due to Lorentz forces

Abstract

In this paper we present a new kind of boundary layer flow produced by an electromagnetic Lorentz force which acts parallel to the plate in an electrically conductive fluid. The plate is motionless and the ambient fluid stagnant. This flow is equivalent to the classical free convective flow along a vertical plate. The boundary layer equations are transformed to non-dimensional form and a new dimensionless number is introduced which is equivalent to the Grashof number. The transformed boundary layer equations are solved with the finite difference method and the presented results include values of the friction coefficient and velocity profiles.