Conjugate mixed convection on a vertical surface in a porous medium

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a detailed analysis of the problem of steady conjugate mixed-convection flow along a vertical finite flat plate which is embedded in a porous medium under the boundary-layer approximation. The problem then reduces to a parabolic partial differential equation which involves only the buoyancy parameter, λ. The cases of both aiding (λ > 0) and opposing (λ < 0) flows are considered. Full numerical and asymptotic solutions are obtained over a wide range of values of λ and the results for the temperature profiles on the plate and in the convective fluid are presented. It is found that, unlike all other problems previously investigated, in both a porous and a non-porous medium and for all inclinations of the plate, unseparated flows can be obtained in this conjugate situation even when there is an opposing flow when λ ⩾ −1. Further, when λ is very large and negative, predictions of the separation point of the boundary layer from the plate are also reported.