Numerical Simulation of Forced Convection in a Composite Porous/Fluid Channel

In this paper, analysis of forced convective flow in a vertical channel partly filled with a porous medium by taking into account the influence of inertial force is presented. In this regard, the flow in the porous medium was modeled using the Brinkman–Forchheimer extended Darcy model. The coupled governing equations of the porous and free flow regions were solved numerically using finite element method. The influence of the inertial force in the porous region on the velocity and the temperature distributions were illustrated by including the Forchheimer term in themomentum equation. The presence of porous matrix in the channel produces flow resistance. It is found that the inertial effects increase this resistance mechanism which further reduces the flow in the channel. However, the inertial term may retain its importance in applicationsinvolving high fluid velocity.

Keywords:

forced convection , porous media , inertial effect , vertical channel