An experimental study on buoyancy-driven convective mass transfer from spheres embedded in saturated porous media

Abstract

Buoyancy-driven convective mass transfer coefficients from copper spheres embedded saturated porous media have been experimentally obtained. Limiting diffusion current technique based on cathodic reduction of cupric ions is used. The data correspond to high Rayleigh number and, expectedly, exhibit non-Darcian effects. It is found that mass transfer from the spheres embedded in saturated porous media can be predicted by Sh* D =5.609Ra*0.241 D Da−0.214, where Ra* D and Da are modified Rayleigh number and Darcy's number respectively.