Three-dimensional MHD flow over a shrinking sheet: Analytical solution and stability analysis

The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) steady and unsteady axisymmetric flows of a viscous fluid over a two-dimensional shrinking sheet are addressed. The mathematical analysis is carried out in the presence of a large magnetic field. The steady state problem results in a singular perturbation problem having an infinite domain singularity. The secular term appearing in the solution is removed and a two-term uniformly valid solution is derived using the Lindstedt-Poincaré technique. This asymptotic solution is validated by comparing it with the numerical solution. The solution for the unsteady problem is also presented analytically in the asymptotic limit of large magnetic field. The results of velocity profile and skin friction are shown graphically to explore the physical features of the flow field. The stability analysis of the unsteady flow is made to validate the asymptotic solution.