The effect of surface mass transfer on buuyancy-induced flow in a variable-porosity medium adjacent to a horizontal heated plate

Abstract

The effect of surface mass tranfer on the buoyancy-induced flow in a varibale-porosity medium adjacent to a horizontal heated plate is studied. Similary solutions are obtained for a power law variation in surface temperature, T w∝ χ λ , and surface blowing, v w∝χ (λ−2)/3 , for a wide range of parameters that define the ratio of solid to fluid thermal conductivity, b. It is shown for the case of uniform surface mass transfer (λ=2) that the variable porosity model in general predicts a higher surface heat flux compared to the uniform porosity model. This increased heat flux depends strongly on the quantity b.