Abstract The mathematical model of heat generation and dissipation during thermal energy transmission employing nanoparticles in a Newtonian medium is investigated. Dimensionless boundary layer equations with correlations for titanium dioxide, copper oxide, and aluminium oxide are solved by the finite element method. Parameters are varied to analyze their impact on the flow fields. Various numerical experiments are performed consecutively to explore the phenomenon of thermal performance of the combination fluid. A remarkable enhancement in thermal performance is noticed when solid structures are dispersed in the working fluid. The Biot number determines the convective nature of the boundary. When the Biot number is increased, the fluid temperature decreases significantly. Among copper oxide, aluminium oxide, and titanium oxide nanoparticles, copper oxide nanoparticles are found to be the most effective thermal enhancers.