Influence of conjugate heat transfer on the minimization of entropy generation for forced convective flow through parallel plate channel filled with porous material

Abstract

AbstractA fluid–solid conjugate heat transfer model is developed to analyze the characteristics of entropy generation for forced convective steady hydrodynamically fully developed laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid through a parallel plate channel filled with porous material by modulating the following parameters: substrate thickness, the ratio of thermal conductivity of wall to fluid, Biot number, the axial temperature gradient in the fluid, and Peclet number. The exteriors of both the walls are subjected to the thermal boundary conditions of the third kind. The mass and Brinkman momentum conservation equations in the fluidic domain and the coupled energy conservation in both the solid and fluidic domain are solved analytically using the local thermodynamic equilibrium model, so as to derive closed‐form expressions for the velocity in the fluid and the temperature both in the fluid and solid walls in terms of relevant parameters. Suitable combinations of influencing factors, namely the geometric parameters of the system, fluid, flow, and substrate properties are identified for which global entropy generation rate is minimized. The findings may be helpful in the design of thermal systems frequently used in diverse engineering applications having heat transfer in the solid wall being a crucial parameter.