Conjugate natural convection in porous media

This paper reviews conduction-convection conjugated natural convection from plates or bodies in a fluid-saturated porous medium. Heating condition at constant temperature is specified on the surface of a conductive solid body positioned away from the solid-porous interface. The solid-porous boundary temperature is obtained as a part of the solution of temperature field over the domain of interest. Several different configurations including slender bodies, rectangular slabs, horizontal cylinders and spheres are discussed. Associated convective flows and heat transfer characteristics are illustrated. A compact expression for the average Nusselt number is derived from a simple one-dimensional analysis. Analytical solutions for time dependent processes and steady temperature distributions in conductive solids are also included. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd