Free convection boundary layer flow past a horizontal flat plate embedded in porous medium filled by nano-fluid containing gyro-tactic microorganisms

The steady boundary layer free convection flow past a horizontal flat plate embedded in a porous medium filled by a water-based nano-fluid containing gyro-tactic microorganisms is investigated. The Oberbeck-Boussinesq approximation is assumed in the analysis. The effects of bio-convection parameters on the dimensionless velocity, temperature, nano-particle concentration and density of motile microorganisms as well as on the local Nusselt, Sherwood and motile microorganism numbers are investigated and presented graphically. In the absence of bio-convection, the results are compared with the existing data in the open literature and found to be in good agreement. The bio-convection parameters strongly influence the heat, mass, and motile microorganism transport rates. (authors)