Natural convection heat transfer in the annular region between porous confocal ellipses

The Darcy–Boussinesq equations are solved in two dimensions and in elliptical cylindrical co‐ordinates using a second‐order‐accurate finite difference code and a very fine grid. For the limiting case of a circular geometry, the results show that a hysteresis loop is possible for some values of the radius ratio, in agreement both with previous calculations using cylindrical co‐ordinates and with the available experimental data. For the general case of an annulus of elliptical cross‐section, two configurations, blunt or slender, are considered. When the major axes are horizontal (blunt case) a hysteresis loop appears for a certain range of Raleigh numbers. For the slender configuration, when the major axes are vertical, a transition from a steady to a periodic regime (Hopf bifurcation) has been evidenced. In all cases, the heat transfer rate from the slender geometry is greater than that obtained in the blunt case. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of anisotropy in permeability on the two-phase flow and heat transfer in a porous cavity

This paper reports on the results of a numerical study of convection flow and heat transfer in a rectangular porous cavity filled with a phase change material under steady state conditions. The two vertical walls of the cavity are subject respectively to temperatures below and above the melting point of the PCM while adiabatic conditions are imposed on the horizontal walls. The porous medium is characterized by an anisotropic permeability tensor with the principal axes arbitrarily oriented with respect to the gravity vector. The problem is governed by the aspect ratioA, the Rayleigh numberRa, the anisotropy ratioR and the orientation angle θ of the permeability tensor. Attention is focused on these two latter parameters in order to investigate the effects of the anisotropic permeability on the fluid flow and heat transfer of the liquid/solid phase change process. The method of solution is based on the control volume approach in conjunction with the Landau-transformation to map the irregular flow domain into a rectangular one. The results are obtained for the flow field, temperature distribution, interface position and heat transfer rate forA=2.5,Ra=40, 0≤θ≤π, 0.25≤R≤4. It was found that the equilibrium state of the solid/liquid phase change process may be strongly influenced by the anisotropy ratioR as well as by the orientation angle θ of the permeability tensor. First, for a given set of parametersA,Ra andR, there exists an optimum orientation θ_max for which the flow strength, the liquid volume and the heat transfer rate are maximum. There also exists an orientation θ_min=θ_max+π/2 for which these quantities are minimum. Second, when an anisotropic medium is oriented along the optimum direction θ_max, an increase of the permeability component along that direction will increase the flow and heat transfer rate in a same order while an increase of the other permeability component only has a negligible effect. For the parameter ranges considered in the present study, it was found that the optimum direction is lying between the gravity vector and the dominant flow direction.     

Variable permeability effect on convection in binary mixtures saturating a porous layer

The Darcy Model with the Boussinesq approximation is used to study natural convection in a shallow porous layer, with variable permeability, filled with a binary fluid. The permeability of the medium is assumed to vary exponentially with the depth of the layer. The two horizontal walls of the cavity are subject to constant fluxes of heat and solute while the two vertical ones are impermeable and adiabatic. The governing parameters for the problem are the thermal Rayleigh number, R _T, the Lewis number, Le, the buoyancy ratio, φ, the aspect ratio of the cavity, A, the normalized porosity, ε, the variable permeability constant, c, and parameter a defining double-diffusive convection (a = 0) or Soret induced convection (a = 1). For convection in an infinite layer, an analytical solution of the steady form of the governing equations is obtained on the basis of the parallel flow approximation. The onset of supercritical convection, or subcritical, convection are predicted by the present theory. A linear stability analysis of the parallel flow model is conducted and the critical Rayleigh number for the onset of Hopf’s bifurcation is predicted numerically. Numerical solutions of the full governing equations are found to be in excellent agreement with the analytical predictions.     

Thermal convection in a porous layer: Effects of anisotropy and surface boundary conditions

The theory describing the onset of convection in a homogeneous porous layer bounded above and below by isothermal surfaces is extended to consider an upper boundary which is partly permeable. The general boundary condition p + λ ∂p/∂n = constant is applied at the top surface and the flow is investigated for various λ in the range 0 ⩽ λ < ∞. Estimates of the magnitude and horizontal distribution of the vertical mass and heat fluxes at the surface, the horizontally-averaged heat flux (Nusselt number) and the fraction of the fluid which recirculates within the layer are found for slightly supercritical conditions. Comparisons are made with the two limiting cases λ → ∞, where the surface is completely impermeable, and λ = 0, where the surface is at constant pressure. Also studied are the effects of anisotropy in permeability, ξ = K _H /K _V , and anisotropy is thermal conductivity, η = k _H /k _V , both parameters being ratios of horizontal to vertical quantities. Quantitative results are given for a wide variety of the parameters λ, ξ and η. In the limit ξ/η → 0 there is no recirculation, all fluid being converted out of the top surface, while in the limit ξ/η → ∞ there is full recirculation.     

Flow structures and heat transfer in anisotropic annular porous interlayers

The results of calculating the flow and heat transfer in annular porous interlayers are presented as functions of the Rayleigh number, the geometry of the interlayer, and the anisotropy of the permeability. The existence of single-vortex and multivortex convection regimes depending on the permeability anisotropy coefficient is established and their importance for the effectiveness of the heat-insulating properties of cylindrical interlayers is shown. Nizhnii Novgorod. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 122–128, July–August, 1998. The work was carried out with support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 96-01-000584).     

Unsteady natural convection heat and mass transfer in a saturated porous enclosure

A detailed numerical study has been performed to investigate transient natural convection heat and mass transfer in a porous enclosure. Major dimensionless groups governing the present problem areRa,N,Le, φ andAr. Results are particular presented to illustrate the effects of the combined thermal and solutal buoyancy forces on the temporal evolution of local/average Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. The results show that with the increase in the Rayleigh number, the heat and mass transfer is enhanced as a result of greater buoyancy effect. Additionally, the increase in buoyancy ratioN results in an improvement in the heat and mass transfer rates and in the mean time causes a short time duration for the flow to approach the steady-state condition.     

Natural convection in a rotating anisotropic porous layer with internal heat generation

In this article, linear and nonlinear thermal instability in a rotating anisotropic porous layer with heat source has been investigated. The extended Darcy model, which includes the time derivative and Coriolis term has been employed in the momentum equation. The linear theory has been performed by using normal mode technique, while nonlinear analysis is based on minimal representation of the truncated Fourier series having only two terms. The criteria for both stationary and oscillatory convection is derived analytically. The rotation inhibits the onset of convection in both stationary and oscillatory modes. Effects of parameters on critical Rayleigh number has also been investigated. A weak nonlinear analysis based on the truncated representation of Fourier series method has been used to find the Nusselt number. The transient behavior of the Nusselt number has also been investigated by solving the finite amplitude equations using a numerical method. Steady and unsteady streamlines, and isotherms have been drawn to determine the nature of flow pattern. The results obtained during the analysis have been presented graphically.     

Forced convection heat transfer at the boundary layer of a packed bed

Numerical investigations of the nature of the fluid flow pattern and heat transfer at the boundary layer of a packed bed are reported. A volume averaged Navier-Stokes equation is used to predict the fluid flow and a volume averaged heat balance equation the heat transfer. A variable porosity in the packing is assumed in the region near the wall. Simulations are performed using a modified penalty Galerkin finite element method. The case of fully developed hydrodynamic flow and developing thermal flow is studied. The Nusselt number is found to depend on the Reynolds number, Graetz number and ratio of thermal conductivity of the solid and fluid phases. Comparison is made to some experimental literature values.Nomenclature A constant - [A] Navier-Stokes type matrix - B constant - [B] divergence matrix - C _p constant pressure heat capacity - d characteristic length - D _p particle diameter - D _t tube diameter - {F} solicitation vector - Gz Graetz number, z D _t ^–1 Pr _f Re _p - k permeability term - k _f Thermal conductivity of the fluid phase - k _s Thermal conductivity of the solid phase - [K] coefficient matrix for temperature equation - n normal vector - P pressure - Pr _f Prandtl number for the fluid _f C _p k _f ^-1 - r radial coordinate - R _t tube radius - R residual - R _m residual - Re _p Reynolds number for particle, - t tortuosity factor - T temperature - interstitial velocity - z axial coordinate - effective thermal conductivity - penalty parameter - boundary of solution domain - porosity - viscosity - density - test function - solution domain - test function     

Enhanced heat transfer performances of molten salt mixed convection in a vertical annular duct

The mixed convection heat transfer of upward molten salt flow in a vertical annular duct is experimentally and numerically studied. The heat transfer performances of mixed convection are measured under Reynolds number 2,500–12,000 and inlet temperature 300–400 °C, and Nusselt number of molten salt flow with cooled inner wall monotonically increases with buoyancy number. The mixed convection is further simulated by low-Reynolds number k-ε model and variable properties, and the heat transfer tendency from numerical results agrees with that from experiments. At low Reynolds number, the natural convection plays more important role in the mixed convection. As the buoyancy number rises, the thickness of flow boundary layer near the inner wall increases, while the effective thermal conductivity remarkably rises, so the enhanced heat transfer of mixed convection is mainly affected by the effective thermal conductivity due to turbulent diffusion.     

Double-diffusive convection in an inclined porous layer with a concentration-based internal heat source

The thermosolutal instability of double-diffusive convection in an inclined fluid-saturated porous layer with a concentration-based internal heat source is investigated. The linear instability of small-amplitude perturbations to the system is analyzed with respect to transverse and longitudinal rolls. The resultant eigenvalue problem is solved numerically utilizing the Chebyshev tau method. It is shown that an increasing inclination angle causes a strong stabilization in the transverse rolls irrespective of the internal heat source or vertical solutal Rayleigh number. Furthermore, substantial qualitative changes are demonstrated in the linear instability thresholds with variations in the inclination angle and concentration-based heat source.     

Influence of lateral mass flux on mixed convection heat and mass transfer over inclined surfaces in porous media

 The effect of lateral mass flux on mixed convection heat and mass transfer in a saturated porous medium adjacent to an inclined permeable surface is analyzed. A similarity solution is obtained when surface temperature and concentration, free stream velocity and injection/suction velocity of fluid are prescribed as power functions of distance from the leading edge. The cases when the flow and buoyancy forces are in the same and opposite directions are discussed both for aiding and opposing buoyancy effects. The governing parameters are the mixed convection parameter Gr, the Lewis number Le, the buoyancy ratio N, the lateral mass flux parameter f _w, representing the effects of injection or withdrawal of fluid at the wall, and λ which specifies three cases of the inclined plate. The interactive effect of these parameters on heat and mass transfer rates are presented. It is observed that the diffusion ratio (Le) has a more pronounced effect on concentration field than on flow and temperature fields. It is found that the rates of heat and mass transfer increase with suction and decrease with injection of the fluid. Received on 31 August 2000 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

A boundary layer analysis of combined heat and mass transfer by natural convection from a concentrated source in a saturated porous medium

A boundary layer analysis was carried out to investigate the coupled phenomena of heat and mass transfer by natural convection from concentrated heat and mass sources embedded in saturated porous media. Both line and point source problems were treated. The boundary layer equations based on Darcy's law and Boussinesq approximation were solved by means of similarity transformation to obtain the details of velocity, temperature and concentration distributions above a concentrated heat source. Two important parameters, namely the Lewis number Le and the buoyancy ratioN were identified to conduct a series of numerical integrations. For the case of small Le, a substance diffuses further away from the plume centerline, such that the mass transfer influences both velocity and temperature profiles over a wide range. For large Le, on the other hand, the substance diffuses within a narrow range along the centerline. Naturally, the influence of mass transfer is limited to the level of the centerline velocity, so that a peaky velocity profile appears for positiveN whereas a velocity defect emerges along the centerline for negativeN. For such cases of large Le, the temperature profiles are found to be fairly insensitive to Le.     

Three dimensional free convection flow and heat transfer along a porous vertical plate

The free convection flow along a vertical porous plate with transverse sinusoidal suction velocity distribution is investigated. Due to this type of suction velocity at the plate the flow becomes three dimensional one. For the asymptotic flow condition, the wall shear stress in the direction of main flow for different values of buoyancy parameter G is obtained. For G=0, the skin friction in the direction of free stream and the rate of heat transfer from the plate to the fluid are given. It is found that these results differ from those obtained by Gersten and Gross.     

Free convection heat transfer from an isothermal wavy surface in a porous enclosure

The coupled streamfuction–temperature equations governing the Darcian flow and convection process in a fluid-saturated porous enclosure with an isothermal sinusoidal bottom sun face, has been numerically analyzed using a finite element method (FEM). No restrictions have been imposed on the geometrical non-linearity arising from the parameters like wave amplitude (a), number of waves per unit length (N), wave phase (Φ), aspect ratio (A) and also on the flow driving parameter Rayleigh number (Ra). The numerical simulations for varying values of Ra bring about interesting flow features, like the transformation of a unicellular flow to a multicellular flow. Both with increasing amplitude and increasing number of waves per unit length, owing to the shift in the separation and reattachment points, a row–column pattern of multicellular flow transforms to a simple row of multicellular flow. A cycle of n celluar and n+1 cellular flows, with the flow in adjacent cells in the opposite direction, periodically manifest with phase varying between 0 and 360°. The global heat transfer into the system has been found to decrease with increasing amplitude and increasing number of waves per unit length. Only marginal changes in the global heat flux are observed, either with increasing Ra or varying Φ. Effectively, sinusoidal bottom surface undulations of the isothermal wall of a porous enclosure reduces the heat transfer into the system. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

多孔介质中二维对流传热的分叉

本文利用分叉理论研究了流体饱和的二维多孔介质从底部加热所引起的自然对流,用有限差分方法确定对流的分叉进程;揭示其模式转换机理及分叉对非正常流动图象形成的影响;同时确定了矩形截面宽高比与临界端利数的关系。还提出了一个判别分支稳定笥的简明方法。     

Experimental investigation of natural convection heat transfer in horizontal and inclined annular fluid layers

In the present study, an experimental investigation of heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of buoyancy-driven flow in horizontal and inclined annuli bounded by concentric tubes has been carried out. The annulus inner surface is maintained at high temperature by applying heat flux to the inner tube while the annulus outer surface is maintained at low temperature by circulating cooling water at high mass flow rate around the outer tube. The experiments were carried out at a wide range of Rayleigh number (5 × 10⁴ < Ra < 5 × 10⁵) for different annulus gap widths (L/D _o = 0.23, 0.3, and 0.37) and different inclination of the annulus (α = 0°, 30° and 60°). The results showed that: (1) increasing the annulus gap width strongly increases the heat transfer rate, (2) the heat transfer rate slightly decreases with increasing the inclination of the annulus from the horizontal, and (3) increasing Ra increases the heat transfer rate for any L/D _o and at any inclination. Correlations of the heat transfer enhancement due to buoyancy driven flow in an annulus has been developed in terms of Ra, L/D _o and α. The prediction of the correlation has been compared with the present and previous data and fair agreement was found.     

Mixed convection heat transfer from a horizontal plate with variable surface heat flux in a porous medium

In this article nonsimilarity solution for mixed convection from a horizontal surface in a saturated porous medium was obtained for the case of variable surface heat flux. The entire mixed convection regime, ranging from pure forced convection to pure free convection, is considered by introducing a single nonsimilarity parameter. Heat transfer results are predicted by employing four different flow models, namely, Darcy's law, the Ergun model, and the Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model with constant and variable porosity. The variable porosity effect is approximated by an exponential function. Effects of transverse thermal dispersion are taken into consideration in the energy equation, along with variable stagnant thermal conductivities. The formulation of the present problem shows that the flow and heat transfer characteristics depend on five parameters, that is, the power in the variation of surface heat flux, the nonsimilarity mixed-convection parameter, the inertia effect parameter, the boundary effect parameter, and the ratio of thermal conductivity of the fluid phase to that of the solid phase. Numerical results for the local Nusselt number variations, based on the various flow models, are presented for the entire mixed convection regime. The impacts␣of different governing parameters on the heat transfer results are thoroughly investigated. Received on 7 August 1997     

Influence of free convection on the heat transfer from hot-wire probes

The present paper is concerned with the experimental determination of the influence of free convection on the heat transfer from horizontal hot-wire probes in cross flow. Free convective flow can be minimized under microgravity conditions and its quantity can be determined by comparisons with terrestrial investigations. Using the developod experimental setups it is possible to investigate all three flow regimes, i.e. pure free, mixed, and pure forced convection (o Re 0.1). It was found that the influence of free convection is limited to Reynolds numberRe 0.0045, independent of the overheat ratio. Based on the findings of Collis and Williams [12], the influence of free convection can be neglected forRe > 0.58 ·Gr ^1/3. The fluid properties are computed at the film temperature. Two correlations are established for the regime of pure forced convection. End losses to the supports were determined in a vacuum experiment, thus allowing comparison with theoretical investigations. The difference between the analytical computations and the measurement data in the range 0 Re 0.02 is caused by the three-dimensional heat transfer occuring in the experimental investigation.Die vorliegende Untersuchung beschäftigt sich mit der experimentellen Bestimmung des Einflusses der freien Konvektion auf den Wärmeübergang bei quergeströmten Hitzdrahtsonden. Die freie Konvektionsströmung kann unter Schwerelosigkeit minimiert und ihre Größe durch den Vergleich mit terrestrischen Untersuchungen ermittelt werden. Mit den erstellten Experimentaufbauten ist es möglich, alle drei Strömungsbereiche von der rein freien über die gemischte bis zur rein erzwungenen Konvektion zu untersuchen (0 <>Re 0,1). Dabei wurde festgestellt, daß der Einfluß der freien Konvektion sich unabhängig von Überhitzungsverhältnis nur bis zu einer ReynoldszahlRe 0,0045 erstreckt. Zur Vernachlässigung der freien Konvektion kann in Anlehnung an Collins und Williams folgende Beziehung angegeben werden:Re > 0,58 ·Gr ^1/3. Die Stoffwerte werden bei der Filmtemperatur berechnet. Für den Bernich der rein erzwungenen Konvektion wurden zwei Korrelationer aufgestellt. Durch einen Vakuumversuch wurden die Endverluste in die Haltespitzen ermittelt und somit der Vergleich mit theoretischen Arbeiten ermöglicht. Der Unterschied zwischen den analytischen Berechnungen und den Meßdaten im Bereich 0 Re 0,02 ergibt sich durch den dreidimensionalen Wärmeübergang bei der experimentellen Untersuchung.The authors acknowledge the support of the Deutsche Agentur für Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA) under grant number 50-QV 8898-1.