Impact of Arrhenius activation energy and Brownian motion on Darcy–Forchheimer flow of ternary nanofluids past a porous medium

This study investigates the heat and mass transfer characteristics in mixed convective Darcy–Forchheimer flow of a ternary nanofluid over a porous stretched sheet, incorporating the effects of chemical reactions, thermal conductivity, and thermophoresis. By suspending Cu, Al₂O₃, and Ag nanoparticles in water, the study generates a ternary nanofluid and employs similarity transformations to convert governing partial differential equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which are numerically solved using the bvp4c solver in MATLAB. The results show that Arrhenius activation energy greatly improves the rate and profile of mass transfer, while Brownian motion raises the thickness of the thermal boundary layer, which makes heat transfer better. This research finding is particularly relevant for optimizing cooling systems in electronics and automotive radiators, where improved heat transfer from ternary nanofluids can enhance performance and efficiency. Additionally, the study’s insights into Darcy–Forchheimer flow and nanoparticle behavior can advance targeted drug delivery systems by modeling how nanoparticles interact with blood flow in capillary networks.