Convective heat transfer in porous media with columnar structure

An analysis is made of convective heat transport, produced by uniform heating from below, in a horizontal layer of a porous medium consisting of vertical slabs or columns of different permeabilities. Estimates of the heat flux are made on the assumption that flow in one column does not interact with flow in adjacent columns. The results are compared with those for a homogeneous layer, for which previous work is reviewed. It is found that an inhomogeneous layer transports less heat than a homogeneous layer for which the mean Rayleigh number is the same, if the Rayleigh number is supercritical throughout the layer. If the Rayleigh number is subcritical in part of the layer, the inhomogeneous layer may transport more heat than the equivalent homogeneous layer.     

A scale-dependent equation for solute transport in porous media

The governing equation describing solute transport in porous media is reformulated using standard volume averaging techniques. The alternative formulation is based on a modified definition of the deviation, which allows for variation of macroscopic velocity across the REV. The new equation contains additional scale-dependent terms which are functions of the size of the averaging volume (REV). This result indicates that the scale-dependent nature of the dispersion phenomenon is inherent even at the scale of the REV.     

Heat transfer in an unevenly heated porous layer

For a uniform saturated porous layer heated from below, the dependence of the quantity of heat transferred on the distribution of the heat source is investigated. It is found, using perturbation methods and numerical techniques, that very small nonuniformities in the heat source having the same wavelength as the preferred convection mode significantly reinforce natural convection.     

Finite element analysis of convective heat transfer in porous media

The finite element method is used to analyse convective heat transfer in a porous medium. Convection past a vertical surface embedded in the medium and convection in a confined porous medium enclosure are analysed using the above method. The results are compared with those available in the literature and the agreement is found to be good. The method is applicable for two-dimensional analysis in a porous body of any arbitrary shape. The restriction of the boundary layer assumption is relaxed.     

Fully-developed conjugate heat transfer in porous media with uniform heating

We propose a computational method for approximating the heat transfer coefficient of fully-developed flow in porous media. For a representative elementary volume of the porous medium we develop a transport model subject to periodic boundary conditions that describes incompressible fluid flow through a uniformly heated porous solid. The transport model uses a pair of pore-scale energy equations to describe conjugate heat transfer. With this approach, the effect of solid and fluid material properties, such as volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity, on the overall heat transfer coefficient can be investigated. To cope with geometrically complex domains we develop a numerical method for solving the transport equations on a Cartesian grid. The computational method provides a means for approximating the heat transfer coefficient of porous media where the heat generated in the solid varies “slowly” with respect to the space and time scales of the developing fluid. We validate the proposed method by computing the Nusselt number for fully developed laminar flow in tubes of rectangular cross section with uniform wall heat flux. Detailed results on the variation of the Nusselt number with system parameters are presented for two structured models of porous media: an inline and a staggered arrangement of square rods. For these configurations a comparison is made with literature on fully-developed flows with isothermal walls.     

Bounds on convective heat transport in a rotating porous layer

Using the background field variational method, bounds on convective heat transport in a rotating porous layer heated from below are derived from the primitive equations. The enhancement of heat transport beyond the minimal conduction value (the Nusselt number Nu) is bounded in terms of the dimensionless temperature difference across the layer (the Rayleigh number Ra) according to

This rigorous upper bound shows that rotation has a retarding effect on convective heat transport.     

Dispersion in spatially periodic porous media

The method of volume averaging is applied to ordered and disordered spatially periodic porous media in two dimensions in order to compute the components of the dispersion tensor for low Peclet numbers ranging from 0.1 to 100. The effect of different parameters on the dispersion tensor is studied. The longitudinal dispersion coefficient decreases with an increase in disorder while the transverse dispersion coefficient increases. The location of discs in the unit cell influences the longitudinal dispersion coefficient significantly, compared to the transverse dispersion coefficient. Under a laminar flow regime, the dispersion coefficient is independent of Re_p. The predicted functional dependency of dispersion on the Peclet number agrees with experimental data. The predicted longitudinal dispersion coefficient in disordered porous media is smaller than that of the experimental data. However, the predicted transverse dispersion coefficient agrees with the experimental data.     

多孔介质中二维对流传热的分叉

本文利用分叉理论研究了流体饱和的二维多孔介质从底部加热所引起的自然对流,用有限差分方法确定对流的分叉进程;揭示其模式转换机理及分叉对非正常流动图象形成的影响;同时确定了矩形截面宽高比与临界端利数的关系。还提出了一个判别分支稳定笥的简明方法。     

A study on interstitial heat transfer in consolidated and unconsolidated porous media

The Nusselt number expressions are presented for the interstitial heat transfer coefficients for both consolidated and unconsolidated porous media. A boundary layer consideration is made for unconsolidated porous media to derive a general Nusselt number correlation, which shows its square root dependence of the Reynolds number, and matches fairly well with existing experimental data and correlations. As for low density consolidated porous media, rigorous mathematical arguments based on the volume averaging theory are provided, so as to explain the reason why the Reynolds number exponent of the Nusselt number expression for the case of low density consolidated porous media is much greater than that of unconsolidated porous media. The resulting expressions are compared against available experimental data and empirical correlations, and found to be in good accord with them.     

Efficient algorithm for modeling transport in porous media with mass exchange between mobile fluid and reactive stationary media

We compare two approaches to numerically solve the mathematical model of reactive mass transport in porous media with exchange between the mobile fluid and the stationary medium. The first approach, named the “monolithic algorithm,” is the approach in which a standard finite-difference discretization of the governing transport equations yields a single system of equations to be solved at each time step. The second approach, named the “system-splitting algorithm,” is here applied for the first time to the problem of transport with mass exchange. The system-splitting algorithm (SSA) solves two separate systems of equations at each time step: one for transport in the mobile fluid, and one for uptake and reaction in the stationary medium. The two systems are coupled by a boundary condition at the mobile– immobile interface, and are solved iteratively. Because the SSA involves the solution of two smaller systems compared to that of the monolithic algorithm, the computation time may be greatly reduced if the iterative method converges rapidly. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to determine the conditions under which the SSA is superior to the monolithic algorithm (MA) in terms of computation time. We found that the SSA is superior under all the conditions that we tested, typically requiring only 0.3–50% of the computation time required by the MA. The two methods are indistinguishable in terms of accuracy. Further advantages to the SSA are that it employs a modular code that can easily be modified to accommodate different mathematical representations of the physical phenomena (e.g., different models for reaction kinetics within the stationary medium), and that each module of the code can employ a different numerical algorithm to optimize the solution.     

Freezing heat transfer in water-saturated porous media in a vertical rectangular vessel

Numerical and experimental study is performed for the freezing of water-saturated porous media in a vertical rectangular vessel. The governing equations are solved by using a variable transformation and employing a finite difference scheme. The SOR method is utilized to solve numerically the equations. Different size and types of spherical beads are used as the porous media. The temperature of cold wall is kept at –10°C, while that of the hot wall is varied from 2°C to 22°C. Comparisons of the analytical results with the experimental ones are made. The effects of the Stefan number, the Darcy number, the modified Prandtl number and the ratio of the temperature of cold wall to the temperature of hot wall are discussed for freezing of the water-saturated porous media.Diese numerische und experimentelle Untersuchung das Gefrieren in mit Wasser gesättigten porösen Medien in einem vertikalen rechteckigen Behälter. Die Erhaltungsgleichungen werden mit einem Variablen-Transformations-Verfahren und einem Differenzen-Verfahren gelöst. Zur numerischen Lösung der Differentialgleichung wird die SOR Methode verwendet. Als poröses Medium wurden verschiedene Typen und Größen von kugelförmigen Perlen benutzt. Die kalte Wand wurde auf –10°C gehalten, die Temperatur der warmen Wand lag zwischen 2 und 22°C. Die errechneten Ergebnisse wurden mit den experimentell Ermittelten verglichen. Die Einflüsse der Stefan-, Darcy- und Prandtl-Zahlen sowie des Verhältnisses der Temperatur der warmen zur kalten Wand auf das Gefrieren in gesättigten porösen Medien wurden diskutiert.     

Unsteady flow and heat transfer of porous media sandwiched between viscous fluids

The problem of unsteady oscillatory flow and heat transfer of porous medin sandwiched between viscous fluids has been considered through a horizontal channel with isothermal wall temperatures. The flow in the porous medium is modeled using the Brinkman equation. The governing partial differential equations are transformed to ordinary differential equations by collecting the non-periodic and periodic terms. Closed-form solutions for each region are found after applying the boundary and interface conditions. The influence of physical parameters, such as the porous parameter, the frequency parameter, the periodic frequency parameter, the viscosity ratios, the conductivity ratios, and the Prandtl number, on the velocity and temperature fields is computed numerically and presented graphically. In addition, the numerical values of the Nusselt number at the top and bottom walls are derived and tabulated.     

Method of homogenization applied to dispersion in porous media

The theory of homogenization which is a rigorous method of averaging by multiple scale expansions, is applied here to the transport of a solute in a porous medium. The main assumption is that the matrix has a periodic pore structure on the local scale. Starting from the pores with the Navier-Stokes equations for the fluid motion and the usual convective-diffusion equation for the solute, we give an alternative derivation of the three-dimensional macroscale dispersion tensor for solute concentration. The original result was first found by Brenner by extending Brownian motion theory. The method of homogenization is an expedient approach based on conventional continuum equations and the technique of multiple-scale expansions, and can be extended to more complex media involving three or more contrasting scales with periodicity in every but the largest scale.     

Combined effect of thermal modulation and rotation on the onset of stationary convection in a porous layer

The stability of a fluid-saturated horizontal rotating porous layer subjected to time-periodic temperature modulation is investigated when the condition for the principle of exchange of stabilities is valid. The linear stability analysis is used to study the effect of infinitesimal disturbances. A regular perturbation method based on small amplitude of applied temperature field is used to compute the critical values of Darcy–Rayleigh number and wavenumber. The shift in critical Darcy–Rayleigh number is calculated as a function of frequency of modulation, Taylor number, and Darcy–Prandtl number. It is established that the convection can be advanced by the low frequency in-phase and lower-wall temperature modulation, where as delayed by the out-of-phase modulation. The effect of Taylor number and Darcy–Prandtl number on the stability of the system is also discussed. We found that by proper tuning of modulation frequency, Taylor number, and Darcy–Prandtl number it is possible to advance or delay the onset of convection.     

Numerical experiments on convective heat transfer in water-saturated porous media at near-critical conditions

Fluid and heat flow at temperatures approaching or exceeding that at the critical point (374 °C for pure water, higher for saline fluids) may be encountered in deep zones of geothermal systems and above cooling intrusives. In the vicinity of the critical point the density and internal energy of fluids show very strong variations for small temperature and pressure changes. This suggests that convective heat transfer from thermal buoyancy flow would be strongly enhanced at near-critical conditions. This has been confirmed in laboratory experiments. We have developed special numerical techniques for modeling porous flow at near-critical conditions, which can handle the extreme nonlinearities in water properties near the critical point. Our numerical simulations show strong enhancements of convective heat transfer at near-critical conditions; however, the heat transfer rates obtained in the simulations are considerably smaller than data reported from laboratory experiments by Dunn and Hardee. We discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy and develop suggestions for additional laboratory experiments.     

Darcy-Forchheimer natural,forced and mixed convection heat transfer in non-Newtonian power-law fluid-saturated porous media

The governing equation for Darcy-Forchheimer flow of non-Newtonian inelastic power-law fluid through porous media has been derived from first principles. Using this equation, the problem of Darcy-Forchheimer natural, forced, and mixed convection within the porous media saturated with a power-law fluid has been solved using the approximate integral method. It is observed that a similarity solution exists specifically for only the case of an isothermal vertical flat plate embedded in the porous media. The results based on the approximate method, when compared with existing exact solutions show an agreement of within a maximum error bound of 2.5%.Nomenclature A cross-sectional area - b _i coefficient in the chosen temperature profile - B ₁ coefficient in the profile for the dimensionless boundary layer thickness - C coefficient in the modified Forchheimer term for power-law fluids - C ₁ coefficient in the Oseen approximation which depends essentially on pore geometry - C _i coefficient depending essentially on pore geometry - C _D drag coefficient - C _t coefficient in the expression forK ^* - d particle diameter (for irregular shaped particles, it is characteristic length for average-size particle) - f _p resistance or drag on a single particle - F _R total resistance to flow offered byN particles in the porous media - g acceleration due to gravity - g _x component of the acceleration due to gravity in thex-direction - Grashof number based on permeability for power-law fluids - K intrinsic permeability of the porous media - K ^* modified permeability of the porous media for flow of power-law fluids - l _c characteristic length - m exponent in the gravity field - n power-law index of the inelastic non-Newtonian fluid - N total number of particles - Nux,_D,F local Nusselt number for Darcy forced convection flow - Nux,_D-F,F local Nusselt number for Darcy-Forchheimer forced convection flow - Nux,_D,M local Nusselt number for Darcy mixed convection flow - Nux,_D-F,M local Nusselt number for Darcy-Forchheimer mixed convection flow - Nux,_D,N local Nusselt number for Darcy natural convection flow - Nux,_D-F,N local Nusselt number for Darcy-Forchheimer natural convection flow - pressure - p exponent in the wall temperature variation - _Pe c characteristic Péclet number - _Pe x local Péclet number for forced convection flow - _Pe x modified local Péclet number for mixed convection flow - _Ra c characteristic Rayleigh number - _Ra x local Rayleigh number for Darcy natural convection flow - _Ra x local Rayleigh number for Darcy-Forchheimer natural convection flow - Re convectional Reynolds number for power-law fluids - Reynolds number based on permeability for power-law fluids - T temperature - T _e ambient constant temperature - T w,_ref constant reference wall surface temperature - T _w(X) variable wall surface temperature - T _w temperature difference equal toT w,_ref–T _e - T ₁ term in the Darcy-Forchheimer natural convection regime for Newtonian fluids - T ₂ term in the Darcy-Forchheimer natural convection regime for non-Newtonian fluids (first approximation) - T _N term in the Darcy/Forchheimer natural convection regime for non-Newtonian fluids (second approximation) - u Darcian or superficial velocity - u ₁ dimensionless velocity profile - u _e external forced convection flow velocity - u _s seepage velocity (local average velocity of flow around the particle) - u _w wall slip velocity - U c _M characteristic velocity for mixed convection - U c _N characteristic velocity for natural convection - x, y boundary-layer coordinates - x ₁,y ₁ dimensionless boundary layer coordinates - X coefficient which is a function of flow behaviour indexn for power-law fluids - effective thermal diffusivity of the porous medium - shape factor which takes a value of/4 for spheres - shape factor which takes a value of/6 for spheres - ₀ expansion coefficient of the fluid - _T boundary-layer thickness - T ₁ dimensionless boundary layer thickness - porosity of the medium - similarity variable - dimensionless temperature difference - coefficient which is a function of the geometry of the porous media (it takes a value of 3 for a single sphere in an infinite fluid) - ₀ viscosity of Newtonian fluid - ^* fluid consistency of the inelastic non-Newtonian power-law fluid - constant equal toX(2 ^2–n )/ - density of the fluid - dimensionless wall temperature difference