Effects of a porous medium on local heat transfer and fluid flow in a forced convection field

A numerical estimation was made for the laminar flow and heat transfer through a porous medium placed in a flow passage with a miter bend. Heat transfer between solid material and fluid was considered in the numerical analysis. The calculations were performed for the Darcy number Da = 1-2.5 x 10(-6), the ratio of thermal conductivity of solid material to fluid RRM = 1-1000, the parameter for heat transfer between solid material and fluid H-g = 10-1000 and the Reynolds number Re = 300. The results of local heat transfer and dimensionless stream function were compared for the cases with and without a porous medium. The behavior of the flow, the solid and gas temperatures, the Nusselt number with these parameters and the thermal performance were illustrated. It was found that a porous medium with high RRM and H-g should be selected with an optimum Darcy number to enhance the local heat transfer without a significant flow resistance. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.