Local Thermal Non-Equilibrium in Mixed Convection in Channels Partially Heated at Uniform Heat Flux Filled With a Porous Medium
A numerical analysis of mixed convection in a vertical channel filled with metal foam partially heated at uniform heat flux is studied numerically. Local thermal non-equilibrium and Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model are assumed. Boussinesq approximation with constant thermophysical proprieties are considered. Results are carried out for an aluminium foam with 10 pore per inch (PPI) and ε=0.909, the fluid is air. Results, for different Reynolds numbers and geometrical aspect ratios, are given in terms of solid and fluid temperatures, at heated walls and inside the channel at several heights, velocity profile along the channel, local and average Nusselt numbers. Results show that diffusive effect resulted lower temperature values inside the solid and the fluid temperatures are higher in all considered cases. For heated channel with smaller aspect ratios, an average Nusselt number increase is found for solid and fluid phases.