Entropy generation of a nanofluid in a porous cavity with sinusoidal temperature at the walls and a heat source bellow

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on the analysis of the entropy generation in an inclined square cavity filled with a porous media saturated by a nanofluid with sinusoidal temperature distribution on the side walls, adiabatic conditions on the upper wall and a heat source at the lower wall.Design/methodology/approachThe two-phase nanofluid model including the Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis effects has been used for simulation of nanofluid transport inside the porous cavity. The governing equations and the entropy generation owing to fluid friction, heat and mass transfer are transformed in terms of the dimensionless variables, and the results are obtained by using the finite difference method of the second-order accuracy.FindingsThe numerical results of the model are investigated, and the effect of different important parameters, such as inclination angle of the cavity, amplitude ratio of the sinusoidal temperature or phase deviation, is discussed. The results for no inclination of the cavity is compared and successfully validated with previous reported results of the literature. The important findings of the study are focused mainly on the existence of the irreversibility phenomena which are affected by the conditions of the model and the values of the studied parameters.Originality/valueThe originality of this work is given by the presented mathematical model, the numerical solution with new results for entropy generation in an inclined porous cavity filled by a nanofluid and the applications for design of electronic or energy devices.