An axisymmetric viscous carbon nanotube (CNT) nanofluid flow exterior to a rotating circular cylinder of radius a
0 along with viscous dissipation and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) is considered here. The two-phased Buongiorno’s model is employed to observe the thermal energy transport in nanofluid with engine-oil as a background fluid and two distinct nanoparticles, i.e., single-walled (SWCNTs) and multi-walled (MWCNTs). The flow is driven because of the torsional motion and stretching of the cylinder along the z-direction, which constitutes the axial pressure gradient. It is seen that in the presence of a magnetic field, the axially dependent swirling motion of the cylinder creates a light transverse flow in the meridional plane, which is the principal cause for the wall jet phenomenon on the axial axis. The function computing the numerical solution is bvp5c, which is available in Matlab®. It is noted that for both SWCNTs/MWCNTs cases, thermal and mass transport coefficients are decreasing function of Prandtl and Schmidt numbers, respectively. However, they are augmented due to the presence of strong Lorentz force. The values for wall stress parameters (WSPs) are determined as a function of a magnetic parameter for 0.01 ≤ Re ≤ 102 (where Re is Reynolds number). It is also perceived that the axial WSP decreases due to an increase in values of Re, but an increase in numerical values of azimuthal WSP and Nusselt number is noticed.