Unsteady oscillatory flow and heat transfer in a horizontal composite porous medium channel

Abstract

The problem of unsteady oscillatory flow and heat transfer in a horizontal composite porous medium is performed. The flow is modeled using the Darcy-Brinkman equation. The viscous and Darcian dissipation terms are also included in the energy equation. The partial differential equations governing the flow and heat transfer are solved analytically using two-term harmonic and non-harmonic functions in both regions of the channel. Effect of the physical parameters such as the porous medium parameter, ratio of viscosity, oscillation amplitude, conductivity ratio, Prandtl number and the Eckert number on the velocity and/or temperature fields are shown graphically. It is observed that both the velocity and temperature fields in the channel decrease as either of the porous medium parameter or the viscosity ratio increases while they increase with increases in the oscillation amplitude. Also, increasing the thermal conductivity ratio is found to suppress the temperature in both regions of the channel. The effects of the Prandtl and Eckert numbers are found to decrease the thermal state in the channel as well.