Pulsating flow and heat transfer in a pipe partially filled with a porous medium

A numerical study is made of pulsating flow and heat transfer characteristics in a circular pipe partially filled with a porous medium. The Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model is adopted for the porous matrix region, which is attached to the pipe wall. The impacts of the Darcy number Da, the thickness of porous layer S, the ratio of effective thermal conductivity of porous material to fluid, R-k, as well as the pulsating frequency, beta, and the amplitude, A, are investigated. The enhanced longitudinal heat conduction due to pulsating how and the enhanced convective heat transfer from high conducting porous material are examined. The maximum effective thermal diffusivity is found at a critical thickness of porous layer. The effects of pulsating amplitude and frequency on heat transfer are also scrutinized. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.