Free convection in a non-Darcian wavy porous enclosure

A numerical study of non-Darcian natural convection in a wavy vertical enclosure filled with a porous medium is performed. The flow is modelled using Forchheimer extended Darcy model. The governing equations are solved by finite element method. Numerical results demonstrate the importance of non-Darcian effect. Cumulative heat flux and Nusselt number together with flow and temperature distributions in the form of streamlines and isotherms are presented for a wide range of governing parameters like Grashof number, Rayleigh number, wave amplitude, wave phase and roughness parameter. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.