The present article elucidates the influence of variable thermal conductivity on liquid flow through two parallel disks under the impact of Fourier’s and Fick’s law. Additionally, the liquid’s flow, energy and mass transport behaviour are examined under the consequence of activation energy, thermal radiation and a high-oscillating magnetic field. The activation energy adds even more intricacy to the system.
It is assumed that the lower disk rotates and stretches, whereas the upper disk is stretched but not rotating. The governing partial differential equations (PDEs) of the specified flow problem are converted into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with the aid of similarity variables. The reduced equations are numerically solved using the Bernstein polynomial collocation method (BPCM). Further, the resultant values of BPCM are validated using Runge–Kutta Fehlberg’s fourth–fifth order (RKF-45) method.
The characteristics of various dimensionless parameters on the momentum, energy and concentration profiles are represented graphically. The rise in the Reynolds number and magnetization parameter declines the velocity profile near the lower disk and expands near the upper disk. An increase in the thermal relaxation time parameter and Reynolds number drops the thermal profile. The thermal profile increases as the value of the radiation and variable thermal conductivity parameters grow. The concentration profile declines as the activation energy parameter rises.
The results of the present study are pertinent to engineering systems that include rotating equipment, disk reactors and energy conversion devices, where meticulous regulation of heat and mass transport is essential. The findings are used in thermal management of high-speed rotating machinery, including turbines, magnetic storage devices and microelectromechanical systems, where materials with variable thermal conductivity and magnetic fields are applied to enhance performance. The study pertains to polymer extrusion between disks, the cooling of rotating disk brakes and chemical processing systems that include reactions driven by activation energy.
The novelty of this work lies in the combined effects of thermal radiation, thermal relaxation, activation energy and magnetization, providing a new perspective into the associated heat and mass transport process in disk flows. The implementation of the BPCM for addressing the transformed nonlinear ODEs, along with the validation against the RKF-45 approach, guarantees computational reliability.
