EFFECTS OF INSERTED POROUS SQUARE CYLINDER ON HEAT- AND MASS-TRANSFER ENHANCEMENT IN A CHANNEL

Abstract

We numerically investigate the effects of an inserted square porous cylinder in a horizontal channel on flow structure and heat and mass transfer. Channel walls have a thin liquid water film and are heated with a constant heat flux density. Several blockage ratio (β) and gap distances (γ) between cylinder and channel wall are considered for study of geometric effects on heat and mass transfer. We perform a comparison between two configurations (with and without porous square cylinder) to highlight the effect of the addition. To achieve this, we solve the classical equations of forced convection and the Darcy−Brinkman−Forchheimer model. Our investigation finds an improvement in heat and mass transfer with the presence of porous cylinder. This improvement is greater with a decrease in Darcy number (Da) and when the obstacle is placed in the middle of the channel. The Sherwood number, which characterizes mass transport, is correlated by a relationship with Reynolds number and ratio blockage. We provide some design guidelines related to Da, β, and γ that can be used in an engineering environment.