Mixed Convection in a Horizontal Porous Duct With a Sudden Expansion and Local Heating From Below

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yokoyama ◽  
F. A. Kulacki ◽  
R. L. Mahajan
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Convective Heat ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Lower Surface ◽  
Porous Matrix ◽  
Sudden Expansion ◽  
Nusselt Numbers ◽  
Matrix Heat ◽  
Heating From Below

Results are reported for an experimental and numerical study of forced and mixed convective heat transfer in a liquid-saturated horizontal porous duct. The cross section of the duct has a sudden expansion with a heated region on the lower surface downstream and adjacent to the expansion. Within the framework of Darcy’s formulation, the calculated and measured Nusselt numbers for 0.1 < Pe < 100 and 50 < Ra < 500 are in excellent agreement. Further, the calculated Nusselt numbers are very close to those for the bottom-heated flat duct. This finding has important implications for convective heat and mass transfer in geophysical systems and porous matrix heat exchangers. The calculations were also carried out for glass bead-packed beds saturated with water using non-Darcy’s formula. The streamlines in the forced convection indicate that, even with non-Darcy effects included, recirculation is not observed downstream of an expansion and the heat transfer rate is decreased but only marginally.

AN EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY OF HEAT TRANSFER IN A SIMULATED COLLECTOR FOR A SOLAR DRYER

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-160
Author(s):  
P.H. Oosthuizen ◽  
A. Sheriff
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Local Heat Transfer ◽  
Lower Surface ◽  
Local Heat ◽  
Electrical Heating ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Measured Temperature ◽  
Transfer Rates ◽  
Thermocouple Probe

Indirect passive solar crop dryers have the potential to considerably reduce the losses that presently occur during drying of some crops in many parts of the “developing” world. The performance so far achieved with such dryers has, however, not proved to be very satisfactory. If this performance is to be improved it is necessary to have an accurate computer model of such dryers to assist in their design. An important element is any dryer model is an accurate equation for the convective heat transfer in the collector. To assist in the development of such an equation, an experimental and numerical study of the collector heat transfer has been undertaken. In the experimental study, the collector was simulated by a 1m long by 1m wide channel with a gap of 4 cm between the upper and lower surfaces. The lower surface of the channel consisted of an aluminium plate with an electrical heating element, simulating the solar heating, bonded to its lower surface. Air was blown through this channel at a measured rate and the temperature profiles at various points along the channel were measured using a shielded thermocouple probe. Local heat transfer rates were then determined from these measured temperature profiles. In the numerical study, the parabolic forms of the governing equations were solved by a forward-marching finite difference procedure.

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