Transient convection heat transfer in a porous medium: External flows

Abstract

This chapter reviews the existing literature on the role of time dependent fluid flow characteristics on the convective interphase transport between a fluid-saturated porous medium and solid surfaces that are immersed in the porous medium. The chapter considers the cases of plates, cylinders, and spheres. Most studies are based on the use of the classical Darcy law model and theoretical developments, concerning more realistic fluid models that are required when studying unsteady flows in porous media. The interest in convective heat transfer in a porous medium is expanding because of the wide range of applications in contemporary technologies. These important applications include such areas as geothermal energy utilization, thermal energy storage and recoverable systems, petroleum reservoirs, insulation of high temperature gas-solid reaction vessels, chemical catalytic convectors, storage of grain, fruits and vegetables, pollutant dispersion in aquifers, industrial and agricultural water distribution, buried electrical cables, combustion in situ in underground reservoirs for the enhancement of oil recovery, ceramic radiant porous burners used by industrial firms as efficient heat transfer devices, and the reduction of hazardous combustion products using catalytic porous beds. These problems have attracted the attention of engineers and scientists from diversified disciplines–such as, applied mathematics, mechanical, chemical, civil, nuclear, and bio-engineering, food science, and geothermal physics.