Optimal heating strategy for minimization of peak temperature and entropy generation for forced convective flow through a circular pipe

•Effect of non-uniform heating on laminar flow through a circular tube.•Minimization of peak temperature and entropy generation for efficient thermal performance.•Comparative assessment of uniform, linearly increasing, linearly decreasing, sinusoidal and peroidic heat flux distribution.•High radial penetration of heat for linearly decreasing and fluctuating heat flux condition.•Proposal of fluctuating heat flux condition as the optimum heating strategy.