Computational Modelling of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer through Metal Foam and Wire Mesh

Abstract

The present research work expounds the numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer through high porosity metallic porous mediums such as metal foam and wire mesh filled in a vertical channel. In the present study the metallic porous mediums are placed on either sides of the heater-plate assembly to enhance the heat transfer. Two different heater assemblies are considered in the present investigation which involves a uniform aluminium plate-heater assembly and a discrete aluminium plate-heater assembly. The present problem is considered as conjugate heat transfer as it involves both solid aluminium plate and fluid flow in the channel. A two dimensional computational domain is selected for the numerical investigation as the vertical channel is symmetrical about the vertical axis. The metal foam/wire mesh region is considered as a homogeneous porous medium with the Darcy Extended Forchheimer model to evaluate the characteristics of fluid flow while the local thermal non-equilibrium heat transfer model is considered for the analysis of heat transfer. The objectives of the present research work are to quantify the effect of pore density, porosity, partially filling thickness, thickness and thermal conductivity of same pore density metal foam, finding out the isothermal condition in discrete heat source system and to determine the interfacial heat transfer coefficient for the wire mesh porous medium in mixed convection and forced convection regimes. Three different filling rates of 40%, 70% and 100% by volume in the vertical channel are also considered for the investigation for the partial filled metallic porous mediums in the vertical channel. The results in terms of Nusselt number, Colburn j factor and overall performance factor are presented and discussed for the cases studied in this research work. This work serves as the current relevance in electronic cooling so as to open up more parametric and optimization studies to develop new class of materials for the enhancement of heat transfer.