Convective Regimes on Porous Media within Sudden Changed Channel due to Tangential Gas Flow

Abstract

Study of lateral heat distribution in porous media caused by tangentially heated air flow is presented. Purpose of present study is to investigate effect of air velocity streamed tangentially, through a sudden enlarged-contracted channel, over a porous media layer toward heat distribution inside the layer. Air with temperature 373 K, as a heat source, is streamed over upper-facing of the porous layer, while its intake velocities are varied respectively at 0.5 to 2.5 m/s. Lower-facing of the porous layer, temperature is held on 313 K constant, as a heat sink. The consolidated porous layer is made from aluminum with porosity 38%. Important informations are obtained. Sudden enlarged-contracted channel generates non-linear heat transfer inside the porous media, whereas the suddenly enlarged channel enhances the molecular conductance, and the sudden contracted one increases the convective conductance.Thislaminar tangential gas flow yields the heat transfer takes respectively on free-, forced-, and combined-convective regime. It is also known that the combined convection is due to air flow at average Reynolds number 231.26.