Effect of thermal dispersion on free convection in a fluid saturated porous medium

The present article considers a numerical study of thermal dispersion effect on the non-Darcy natural convection over a vertical flat plate in a fluid saturated porous medium. Forchheimer extension is considered in the flow equations. The coefficient of thermal diffusivity has been assumed to be the sum of molecular diffusivity and the dispersion thermal diffusivity due to mechanical dispersion. The non-dimensional governing equations are solved by the finite element method (FEM) with a Newton–Raphson solver. Numerical results for the details of the stream function, velocity and temperature contours and profiles as well as heat transfer rates in terms of Nusselt number are obtained. The study shows that the increase in thermal dispersion coefficient of the porous medium results in more heat energy to disperse away in the normal direction to the wall. This induces more fluid to flow along the wall, enhancing the heat transfer coefficient particularly near the wall.     

Thermal Dispersion–Radiation Effects on Non-Darcy Natural Convection in a Fluid Saturated Porous Medium

The effects of thermal dispersion and thermal radiation on the non-Darcy natural convection over a vertical flat plate in a fluid saturated porous medium are studied. Forchheimer extension is considered in the flow equations. The coefficient of thermal diffusivity has been assumed to be the sum of molecular diffusivity and the dispersion thermal diffusivity due to mechanical dispersion. Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. Similarity solution for the transformed governing equations is obtained. Numerical results for the details of the velocity and temperature profiles which are shown on graphs have been presented. The combined effect of thermal dispersion and thermal radiation, for the two cases Darcy and non-Darcy porous medium, on the heat transfer rate which are entered in tables is discussed.     

Thermal dispersion effects on non-Darcy natural convection with lateral mass flux

The method of similarity solution is used to study the influence of lateral mass flux and thermal dispersion on non-Darcy natural convection over a vertical flat plate in a fluid saturated porous medium. Forchheimer extension is considered in the flow equations and the coefficient of thermal diffusivity has been assumed to be the sum of molecular diffusivity and the dispersion thermal diffusivity due to mechanical dispersion. The suction/injection velocity distribution has been assumed to have power function form Ax ^l , where x is the distance from the leading edge and the wall temperature distribution is assumed to be uniform. When l=−1/2, similarity solution is possible, and the results indicate that the boundary layer thickness decreases where as the heat transfer rate increases as the mass flux parameter passes from injection domain to the suction domain. The increase in the thermal dispersion parameter is observed to enhance the heat transfer. The combined effect of thermal dispersion and fluid suction/injection on the heat transfer rate is discussed. Received on 9 September 1996     

Integral solution for Forchheimer free convection over a horizontal flat surface

The aim of the present paper is to study the non-Darcy free convection from a horizontal flat surface in a fluid saturated porous medium using integral method for the case when the heat flux from the surface remains constant. The thermal dispersion effects are taken into consideration. The linear relation between the dispersion thermal diffusivity and the streamwise velocity component has been adopted. Exponential profiles are choosen for the velocity and temperature distributions. The Nusselt number results are in good agreement with the existing similarity solution.     

Heat dispersion in stationary mixed convection flow about horizontal surfaces in porous media

An analysis has been performed to study the influence of velocity dependent dispersion on transverse heat transfer in mixed convection flow above a horizontal wall of prescribed temperature in a saturated porous medium. The Boussinesq approximation and boundary layer analysis were used to numerically obtain gravity affected temperature and velocity distributions within the frames of Darcy's law and a total thermal diffusivity tensor comprising both of constant coefficient heat conduction and velocity proportional mechanical heat dispersion. Dependending on Pe_∞, the molecular Peclét number basing on the effective thermal diffusivity and the velocity of the oncoming flow, density coupling has distinct influences on heat transfer rates between the wall surface and the porous medium flow region. For small Peclét numbers, when heat conduction is the prevailing mechanism, wall heat fluxes are the higher the larger the density difference between the oncoming and the near wall fluid is. The opposite is true for larger Peclét numbers, when mechanical heat dispersion is the main cause of heat spreading. For Pe_∞ tending to infinity these wall heat fluxes approach finite maximum values in the total heat diffusivity model, they grow beyond any limit if only constant coefficient heat conduction is considered. Thus, the inclusion of mechanical heat dispersion effects yields physically more realistic predictions. Received on 18 September 1996     

Thermal dispersion effects on non-Darcy natural convection over horizontal plate with surface mass flux

Summary The effect of surface mass flux on the non-Darcy natural convection over a horizontal flat plate in a saturated porous medium is studied using similarity solution technique. Forchheimer extension is considered in the flow equations. The suction/injection velocity distribution has been assumed to have power function form Bx ^l , similar to that of the wall temperature distribution Ax ⁿ , where x is the distance from the leading edge. The thermal diffusivity coefficient has been assumed to be the sum of the molecular diffusivity and the dynamic diffusivity due to mechanical dispersion. The dynamic diffusivity is assumed to vary linearly with the velocity component in the x direction, i.e. along the hot wall. For the problem of constant heat flux from the surface (n=1/2), similarity solution is possible when the exponent l takes the value −1/2. Results indicate that the boundary layer thickness decreases whereas the heat transfer rate increases as the mass flux parameter passes from the injection domain to the suction domain. The increase in the thermal dispersion parameter is observed to favor the heat transfer by reducing the boundary layer thickness. The combined effect of thermal dispersion and fluid suction/injection on the heat transfer rate is discussed. Received 7 December 1995; accepted for publication 7 January 1997     

Analysis of hydrodynamic and thermal dispersion in porous media by means of a local approach

A pore scale analysis is implemented in this numerical study to investigate the behavior of microscopic inertia and thermal dispersion in a porous medium with a periodic structure. The macroscopic characteristics of the transport phenomena are evaluated with an averaging technique of the controlling variables at a pore scale level in an elementary cell of the porous structure. The Darcy–Forchheimer model describes the fluid motion through the porous medium while the continuity and Navier–Stokes equations are applied within the unit cell. An average energy equation is employed for the thermal part of the porous medium. The macroscopic pressure loss is computed in order to evaluate the dominant microscopic inertial effects. Local fluctuations of velocity and temperature at the pore scale are instrumental in the quantification of the thermal dispersion through the total effective thermal diffusivity. The numerical results demonstrate that microscopic inertia contributes significantly to the magnitude of the macroscopic pressure loss, in some instances with as much as 70%. Depending on the nature of the porous medium, the thermal dispersion may have a marked bearing on the heat transfer, particularly in the streamwise direction for a highly conducting fluid and certain values of the Peclet number.     

Dispersion in a Bingham plastic fluid: Effects of peripheral layer

The dispersion of a soluble matter in a plastic fluid flowing through a tube and a channel has been analysed by taking into account the variations of viscosity, diffusivity and yield stress. It has been shown that in the special case of a Bingham fluid, surrounded by a peripheral layer of a Newtonian fluid, the effective dispersion coefficient with which the solute disperses across a plane moving with the mean speed of the flow decreases with the viscosity of the peripheral layer fluid but increases as the molecular diffusion coefficient of this layer decreases. Further, the effective dispersion coefficient also decreases as the yield stress of the Bingham fluid increases.     

Convective diffusion from a non-uniformly distributed source in flowing blood

The experimental evaluation of solute diffusivity in blood in or near a zero shear rate region poses difficulties, particularly at low hematocrits. This work studies the pertinent theoretical aspects of a possible flow technique which may circumvent these difficulties. The dispersion in a Casson fluid flowing laminarly in a circular tube is studied under the conditions when a solute is injected continuously but non-uniformly from a centrally placed source. The plots of centreline concentration decay as a function of the axial distance as well as the radial concentration profiles are made and their significance for evaluating the diffusivity is critically discussed.     

Traveling Waves in Porous Media Combustion: Uniqueness of Waves for Small Thermal Diffusivity

We study traveling wave solutions arising in Sivashinsky’s model of subsonic detonation which describes combustion processes in inert porous media. Subsonic (shockless) detonation waves tend to assume the form of a reaction front propagating with a well defined speed. It is known that traveling waves exist for any value of thermal diffusivity [5]. Moreover, it has been shown that, when the thermal diffusivity is neglected, the traveling wave is unique. The question of whether the wave is unique in the presence of thermal diffusivity has remained open. For the subsonic regime, the underlying physics might suggest that the effect of small thermal diffusivity is insignificant. We analytically prove the uniqueness of the wave in the presence of non-zero diffusivity through applying geometric singular perturbation theory. Dedicated to Mr. Brunovsky in honor of his 70th birthday.     

Magneto-thermo-elastic waves in an infinite perfectly conducting elastic solid with energy dissipation

The generalized thermo-elasticity theory, i.e., Green and Naghdi （G-N） Ⅲ theory, with energy dissipation （TEWED） is employed in the study of time-harmonic plane wave propagation in an unbounded, perfectly electrically conducting elastic medium subject to primary uniform magnetic field. A more general dispersion equation with com- plex coefficients is obtained for coupled magneto-thermo-elastic wave solved in complex domain by using the Leguerre＇s method. It reveals that the coupled magneto-thermoelastic wave corresponds to modified dilatational and thermal wave propagation with finite speeds modified by finite thermal wave speeds, thermo-elastic coupling, thermal diffusivity, and the external magnetic field. Numerical results for a copper-like material are presented.     

Natural convection in a horizontal porous layer with anisotropic thermal diffusivity

The present paper is concerned with free convection in a horizontal porous layer with anisotropic thermal diffusivity. It is assumed that the diffusivity has rotational symmetry, with a symmetry axis making an arbitrary angle against the vertical. The critical Rayleigh number and wave number at marginal stability are calculated and the steady motion occurring at convection onset is examined. It is found that there are two different types of convection cells, depending on whether the longitudinal diffusivity is larger than the transverse diffusivity or not. In the former case, the convection cells are rectangular with vertical lateral walls. In the latter case, however, the lateral cell walls are tilted as well as curved.     

An analysis of species separation in a thermogravitational column filled with a porous medium

In the past, the analysis of species separation in a thermogravitational column filled with porous media has been based on strong dependency of thermal and molecular diffusion to dispersion. In this work, we suggest an alternative and show that the dispersion effect is negligible for the conditions in a packed hermogravitational column and that compositional dependency of the thermal diffusion should be accounted for.     

Boiling-like phenomena in free-convection heat transfer at supercritical pressures

Four differently composed nickel-alloy wires and platinum wires were used as heaters to CO₂ in a wide range of pressures and temperatures. Visual observations exhibited three flow regimes: laminar flow, oscillatory flow and turbulent film flow. Boiling-like phenomena may only be attributed to the oscillatory and film regime with respect to the appearance of bubble-like structures and high heat transfer coefficients. The occurrence of these regimes depends on the thermal diffusivity of the wire material. Only laminar flow is observed for platinum wires with a high thermal diffusivity; all three regimes are observed with nichrome wires with low values of thermal diffusivity. The high heat transfer coefficients obtained with boiling-like action distinctly deviate from a correlation valid for platinum wire experiments.     

Free convection effects on a vertical cone with variable viscosity and thermal conductivity

The present paper deals with a flow of a viscous incompressible fluid along a heated vertical cone, with due allowance for variations of viscosity and thermal diffusivity with temperature. The fluid viscosity is assumed to be an exponential function of temperature, and the thermal diffusivity is assumed to be a linear function of temperature. The governing equations for laminar free convection of the fluid are transformed into dimensionless partial differential equations, which are solved by a finite difference method with the Crank–Nicolson implicit scheme. Dependences of the flow parameters on the fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity are obtained.     

Flow and heat transfer in a moving fluid over a moving flat surface

In this paper, a numerical analysis of the momentum and heat transfer of an incompressible fluid past a parallel moving sheet based on composite reference velocity U is carried out. A single set of equations has been formulated for both momentum and thermal boundary layer problems containing the following parameters: r the ratio of the free stream velocity to the composite reference velocity, σ (Prandtl number) the ratio of the momentum diffusivity of the fluid to its thermal diffusivity, and E _c (E _ck ) (Eckert number). The present study has been carried out in the domain 0 ≤ r ≤ 1. It is found that the direction of the wall shear changes in such an interval and an increase of the parameter r yields an increase in temperature.      

Non-Darcy free convection in a thermally stratified porous medium along a vertical plate with variable heat flux

Free convection along an impermeable vertical plate embedded in a thermally stratified, fluid-saturated porous medium is analyzed. The wall heat flux is varied in a power-law form. The non-Darcian effects, such as solid-boundary viscous resistances, high-flow-rate inertia forces, near wall nonuniform porosity distribution and thermal dispersion, have been considered in the present study. Due to the variation of porosity in the near wall region, the stagnant thermal conductivity also varies accordingly. The nonsimilar system of transformed equations is solved with Keller's Box method. It is shown that the thermal stratification effect and the higher value of the exponent m can increase the local Nusselt number. Also the non-Darcian and thermal dispersion effects significantly influence the velocity and temperature profiles and local Nusselt number.     

Periodisches Hitzdrahtverfahren zur Messung von Wärme- und Temperaturleitfähigkeit von geringen Stoffmengen

A measuring procedure for the simultaneous determination of the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of small quantities is described. The procedure is suited for high-viscous fluids and for powdery material. The measuring principle is based on the transient hot-wire method. A sinusoidal alternating current flows through a thin platinum wire and heats up the wire periodically. This results in thermal waves, which penetrate into the surrounding sample. The amplitude and the phase shift of the thermal waves depend on the thermal diffusivity “a” and the thermal conductivity “λ” of the sample. The temperature oscillation in the sample is measured by means of the platinum wire, which is simultaneously applied as a resistance thermometer. The values measured for water and glycerine correspond well to those given in literature. Results of the effective thermal conductivity and the effective thermal diffusivity of zeolite powder under pressurized hydrogen are also discussed. The advantage of this measuring procedure is that only a sample of 13 ml is needed for the test.     

Mixed Convection Boundary Layer Flow Past a Horizontal Circular Cylinder Embedded in a Bidisperse Porous Medium

Adopting a two-temperature and two-velocity model, appropriate to a bidisperse porous medium (BDPM) proposed by Nield and Kuznetsov (2008), the classical steady, mixed convection boundary layer flow about a horizontal, isothermal circular cylinder embedded in a porous medium has been theoretically studied in this article. It is shown that the boundary layer analysis leads to expressions for the flow and heat transfer characteristics in terms of an inter-phase momentum parameter, a thermal diffusivity ratio, a thermal conductivity ratio, a permeability ratio, a modified thermal capacity ratio, and a buoyancy or mixed convection parameter. The transformed partial differential equations governing the flow and heat transfer in the f-phase (the macro-pores) and the p-phase (the remainder of the structure) are solved numerically using a very efficient implicit finite-difference technique known as Keller-box method. A good agreement is observed between the present results and those known from the open literature in the special case of a traditional Darcy formulation (monodisperse system).     

Transient forced convection heat transfer in a channel

A numerical analysis is made of incompressible transient turbulent flow heat transfer between two parallel plates when there is a step jump in space along the channel in wall heat flux or wall temperature. The variation of the fluid velocity and effective diffusivity over the channel cross section are accounted for. The fluid is assumed to have a fully-developed turbulent velocity profile throughout the length of the channel. The thermal responses of the system are obtained by solving energy equation for air by a digital computer. The results are presented in graphical forms. The stability of the finite difference solution is studied and condition for the stability of the difference solution is derived. A method is given to obtain velocity distributions from the distribution of turbulent eddy diffusivity of momentum. Variations of Nusselt numbers are obtained as a function of time and space. Steady-state values are also given and compared with the published results.