Non-Darcian Effects on Buoyancy-Induced Heat Transfer in a Partially Divided Square Enclosure with Internal Heat Generation

Abstract

The present investigation addresses non-Darcian effects on the buoyancyinduced heat transfer in a partially divided square enclosure with internal heat generation. The generalized model of the momentum equation, which is also known as the Forchheimer-Brinkman extended Darcy model, which takes into account boundary and inertia effects, was used in representing the fluid motion inside the porous layer. The local thermal equilibrium condition was assumed to be valid for the range of the thermophysical parameters considered in the present investigation. The transport equations were solved using the finite element formulation based on the Galerkin method of weighted residuals. The validity of the numerical code used was ascertained by comparing our results with previously published results. Results were obtained in terms of streamlines, isotherms, and Nusselt number for various geometrical parameters specifying the height and width of the partition. In addition, the effects of external and internal Rayleigh numbers and Darcy number were highlighted in the proposed study.