Developing Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in a Semi-Porous Square Channel

A three-dimensional computational model is developed to analyze fluid flow in a semi-porous channel. In order to understand the developing fluid flow and heat transfer process inside the semi-porous channels, the conventional Navier-Stokes equations for gas channel, and volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for porous media layer are adopted individually in this study. Conservation of mass, momentum and energy equations are solved numerically in a coupled gas and porous media domain in a channel using the vorticity-velocity method with power law scheme. Detailed development of axial velocity, secondary flow and temperature fields at various axial positions in the entrance region are presented. The friction factor and Nusselt number are presented as a function of axial position, and the effects of the size of porous media inside semi-porous channel are also analyzed in the present study.