Magnetohydrodynamic stratified flow past a sphere

This paper considers the uniform, steady, horizontal flow of a vertically stratified, electrically conducting, non-diffusive fluid over a non-conducting sphere in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. The force exerted on the sphere is investigated on the basis of the method of matched asymptotic expansions, for small values of a stratification parameter α, R e ⪡ ¦α¦ 1 3 , F r 2 ⪡ ¦α¦ − 1 3 and for M 2 = 0(α 2 3 . Up to the first order of calculations the drag is computed for a few typical values of magnetic interaction parameter when, (a) The applied magnetic field lies in the vertical plane and inclined with the ambient flow direction. (b) The applied magnetic field lies in the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the flow direction. Further it is shown that the sphere has no tendency to rotate nor it experiences a lift force upto the order of calculations which we have made. The drag experienced by the sphere is found to be increased due to the combined effects of stratification and magnetic field.