Enhancing Heat Transfer: Unraveling the Dynamics of Mixed Convection in a Vertical Porous Cavity

Abstract

Mixed convection inside a vertical square porous cavity is investigated numerically, with special attention given to left-side heating. In the study, the importance of the problem, methods used, main results, conclusions, and novelty of the work are discussed. The Brinkmann-Forchheimer-Darcy coupled momentum equations and the Local Thermal Equilibrium energy (LTE) equation are solved using the finite volume technique. Several elemental parameters are investigated, including Reynolds number (50 × Re × 300), Darcy number (0.01 × Da × 100), Richardson number (0 × Ri × 30), and porosity (0.5 × ε ≥ 0.95). The thermal conductivity ratio of solid to liquid was (1<Kr<10⁵), and the inlet port width between (0.05<d/H<0.3). Results show that Nusselt number increases with Reynolds number, Richardson number, and pore thermal conductivity. With increasing porosity, an inverse relationship was observed. Nusselt number was maximized by finding the optimal inlet aperture size (d/H = 0.25). It provides valuable insights into how different parameters affect mixed convection in vertical square porous cavities. Heat transfer processes in porous media are improved by these results. This work goes beyond previous efforts in the literature in exploring a wide parameter space and determining the optimal inlet aperture size.