Abstract

The steady mixed convection boundary layer flow from a solid sphere in a micropolar fluid, generated by Newtonian heating in which the heat transfer from the surface is proportional to the local surface temperature, is considered. The governing boundary layer equations are first transformed into a system of nondimensional equations via the non-dimensional variables, and then into nonsimilar equations before they are solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. Numerical solutions are obtained for the skin friction coefficient, wall temperature and heat transfer coefficient, as well as the velocity and temperature profiles with several parameters considered, namely the mixed convection parameter, the material or micropolar parameter, and the Prandtl number.