A pore scale analysis for determination of interfacial convective heat transfer coefficient for thin periodic porous media under mixed convection

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine interfacial convective heat transfer coefficient numerically, for a porous media consisting of square blocks in inline arrangement under mixed convection heat transfer. Design/methodology/approach The continuity, momentum and energy equations are solved in dimensionless form for a representative elementary volume of porous media, numerically. The velocity and temperature fields for different values of porosity, Ri and Re numbers are obtained. The study is performed for the range of Ri number from 0.01 to 10, Re number from 100 to 500 and porosity value from 0.51 to 0.96. Based on the obtained results, the value of the interfacial convective heat transfer coefficient is calculated by using volume average method. Findings It was found that at low porosities (such as 0.51), the interfacial Nusselt number does not considerably change with Ri and Re numbers. However, for porous media with high Ri number and porosity (such as 10 and 0.51, respectively), secondary flows occur in the middle of the channel between rods improving heat transfer between solid and fluid, considerably. It is shown that the available correlations of interfacial heat transfer coefficient suggested for forced convection can be used for mixed convection for the porous media with low porosity (such as 0.51) or for the flow with low Ri number (such as 0.01). Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no study on determination of interfacial convective heat transfer coefficient for mixed convection in porous media in literature. The present study might be the first study providing an accurate idea on the range of this important parameter, which will be useful particularly for researchers who study on mixed convection heat transfer in porous media, macroscopically.