Magnetohydrodynamical Steady Aligned Flow Past an Oblique Flat Plate at a High Reynolds Number

Abstract

The flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid past an insulated flat plate at a small incidence, θ, is dealt with by the linearized approximation. The behavior of the flow at large values of viscous Reynolds number, R, magnetic Reynolds number, R_m, and pressure number, S, is studied. Four characteristic types of flow are shown. In the first case: 1<<R≤O(1⁄sinθ) and κ₁=(1+R_m⁄R)−[(1−R_m⁄R)²+4R_mS⁄R]^1⁄2>0, the flow field reduces to the conventional potential flow satisfying the Kutta-Joukowski condition. In the second case: 1<<R≤O(1⁄sinθ) and κ₁<0, the flow field becomes the potential flow satisfying the MHD Kutta-Joukowski condition. In the third case: O(1⁄sin²θ)<<R and κ₁>0, the flow field consists of a potential field and a wide wake spreading downstream, where the flow is rotational and the velocity almost vanishes. In the last case: O(1⁄sin²θ)<<R and κ₁<0, the flow field consists of two wide wakes spreading both up- and downstream.