The evolution of turbulent micro-vortices and their effect on convection heat transfer in porous media

Abstract

New insight into the contribution of the microscale vortex evolution to convection heat transfer in porous media is presented in this paper. The objective is to determine how the microscale vortices influence convection heat transfer in turbulent flow inside porous media. The microscale temperature distribution is analysed using flow visualization in two dimensions using streamlines and in three dimensions using the Q-criterion. The pertinent observations are supplemented with a comparison of surface skin friction and heat transfer using: (i) surface skin-friction lines and (ii) the joint probability density function of the pressure and skin-friction coefficients, along with the Nusselt number. The microscale flow phenomena observed are corroborated with the features of the frequency spectra of the drag coefficient and macroscale Nusselt number. The large eddy simulation technique is used in this study to investigate the flow field inside a periodic porous medium. The Reynolds numbers of the flow are 300 and 500. The porous medium consists of solid obstacles in the shape of square and circular cylinders. Two distinct flow regimes are represented by using the porosities of 0.50 and 0.87. The results show that the surface Nusselt number distribution is dependent on whether the micro-vortices are attached to or detached from the surface of the obstacle. The spectra of the macroscale Nusselt number and the pressure drag are similar, signifying a correlation between the dynamics of heat transfer and the microscale turbulent structures. Both vortex shedding and secondary flow instabilities are observed that significantly influence the Nusselt number. The fundamental insight gained in this paper can inform the development of more robust macroscale models of convection heat transfer in turbulent flow in porous media.