3D numerical simulation of flow and conjugate heat transfer through a pore scale model of high porosity open cell metal foam

A 3D numerical simulation methodology for the flow and heat transfer at the pore scale level of high porosity open cell metal foam is presented. The pore scale topology is directly represented with a 3D numerical model of the geometry, which is discretised using a tetrahedral volume mesh for both its void and solid phases. The conjugate flow and temperature fields are obtained by solution of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations for two different foam pore densities under various flow and temperature conditions. Model validation is performed against macroscopic parameters such as pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient; the results are found in reasonable agreement with the experimental measurements. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.