Öz
Flow separation is a physical phenomenon that greatly affects the performance in aerodynamic and heat transfer applications and cannot be neglected during design. Backward-facing step is the reference geometry, which is important in the studies carried out to examine the flow separation or to investigate the effectiveness of control methods aimed at manipulating the separated flow. In this study, the effect of the magnetic field, which is an active flow control method, on flow separation in backward-facing step geometry and heat transfer were investigated numerically. The intensity of the magnetic field was changed continuously, depending on a sinusoidal function over time. The investigation was limited to laminer flow conditions. Water based iron oxide (Fe3O4 – water) nanofluid was used as a working fluid and the nanofluid modeled as a single phase. As a result of numerical simulations, the method examined has been found to be successful in influencing the wake flow and the convective heat transfer caused by the flow in this zone.