Free convection of composite porous medium in a vertical channel

Abstract

A fully developed free convection flow of immiscible fluids in a vertical channel filled with a porous medium is analyzed in the presence of source/sink. The flow is modeled using the Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer equation model. The viscous and Darcy dissipation terms are included in the energy equation. The channel walls are maintained at two different constant temperatures. The transport properties of both fluids are assumed to be constant. Continuous conditions for velocity, temperature, shear stress, and heat flux of both fluids at the interface are employed. The resulting coupled nonlinear equations are solved analytically using regular perturbation method and numerically using finite difference method. The velocity and temperature profiles are obtained in terms of porous parameter, Grashof number, viscosity ratio, width ratio, conductivity ratio, and heat generation or heat absorption coefficient. It is found that the presence of porous matrix and heat absorption reduces the flow field. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.