Flow over porous blocks in a square cavity: Influence of heat flux and porosity on heat transfer rates

The heat transfer due to the flow over two porous blocks situated in a square cavity is investigated and the effects of heat flux and the porosity on the flow structure and the heat transfer in the cavity are examined. In the simulations, four heat fluxes and three porosities are accommodated while air is used as the working fluid. The flow conditions at the cavity inlet are kept the same for all the cases simulated. The equilibrium equations pertinent to the flow over porous blocks in the cavity are used to predict the velocity and temperature fields. It is found that increasing porosity of the blocks modifies the flow field in the cavity, which is more pronounced as the heat flux increases. The Nusselt number enhances with the increasing porosity and heat flux. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.