Numerical analysis of CdTe-carbon hybrid nanofluid flow with fractal-fractional derivatives in a radiative MHD channel

This study investigates the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a hybrid nanofluid composed of cadmium telluride (CdTe) and carbon (C) nanoparticles suspended in water within a parallel channel under the combined effects of thermal radiation and a magnetic field. The novelty of this work lies in the application of a fractal-fractional derivative framework to model hybrid nanofluid flow, which enables the incorporation of both memory and nonlocal transport effects that are not captured by classical integer-order models. The governing nonlinear equations, including the influence of variable heat generation/absorption, are solved numerically using the MATLAB BVP4C solver. The results reveal that the hybrid nanofluid significantly enhances heat transfer performance compared to conventional fluids. Thermal radiation and heat source parameters increase the temperature distribution, while the magnetic field suppresses fluid velocity due to Lorentz force effects. The fractal-fractional model provides improved accuracy in describing complex transport behavior in heterogeneous media. From a practical perspective, these findings are relevant to the design and optimization of advanced thermal management systems, including microchannel heat exchangers, electronic cooling devices, solar thermal collectors, and energy storage systems. The study demonstrates that hybrid nanofluids combined with fractal-fractional modeling can offer enhanced control over heat and momentum transport, thereby contributing to the development of efficient and reliable engineering systems.