Sensitivity analysis of the nanofluid flow over a stretching flat surface

In this study, the sensitivity caused by the input parameters, such as Lewis number (L_e), thermophoresis parameter (N_t) and Brownian motion parameter (N b) of a nanofluid flow past a stretching flat surface is studied using response surface methodology (RSM). The mathematical model is solved using numerical technique and Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are considered as quantities of interest. The involved parameters, such as Lewis number, thermophoresis parameter and Brownian motion parameter, are varied for arbitrary values in the interval. A central composite design is used to obtain the quadratic model for the output, such as Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. It is found that reduced Nusselt number is most sensitive towards the Brownian motion parameter (N_b) in the interval 5 ≤ L_e ≤ 25. Sherwood number is sensitive towards thermophoresis parameter in the interval 5 ≤ L_e ≤ 25 for fixed Brownian motion parameter (N_b = 0.3). (author)