THERMAL DISPERSION AND BUONGIORNO'S NANOFLUID MODEL EFFECTS ON NATURAL CONVECTION IN AN INCLINED RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE PARTIALLY FILLED WITH HEAT GENERATING POROUS MEDIUM

Abstract

In this paper, heat transfer enhancement using nanofluids in inclined rectangular enclosures consisting of fluid layer and heat generating porous layer in the presence of thermal dispersion effects is investigated. Buongiorno's model is applied for the nanofluid, while the Brinkman-extended Darcy model with the Forchheimer inertia terms is applied for the porous layer. Two systems of partial differential equations are introduced for the two layers, and they are merged in one dimensionless system using a binary parameter. The finite volume method is applied to solve this system, and comparisons with previously published results are conducted. Wide ranges of the key parameters are considered, and the obtained results are introduced in terms streamlines, isotherms, nanoparticle volume fraction, and local Nusselt number at the wall next to the fluid layer and the wall next to the porous layer. It is found that the increase in the Rayleigh number enhances the buoyancy force in the porous layer leading to support the nanofluid flow inside this layer. Although the effect of Darcy number is more effective in the porous layer, it leads to an enhancement in the local Nusselt number on the left and right walls with the same rate.