Laminar magnetohydrodynamic flow development in a channel (Q1185373)

The laminar MHD flow characteristics are investigated for an incompressible fluid with finite viscosity and electrical conductivity, entering a channel consisting of two semi-infinite, non conducting plates placed at a given distance from each other. The external stationary and homogeneous electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to the main flow velocity. The relevant equations are expressed in integral forms in terms of the flow velocity. The solutions give the pressure and the boundary layer thickness distribution along the channel and the plotted results indicate a slower flow development than in the known case when the standard method, involving the velocity derivatives at the wall, is applied.