Unsteady Darcian Natural Convection within Porous Media of Square Enclosure at Various Rayleigh Numbers

Abstract

Transient natural convection within a 2D square cavity filled with a porous medium is numerically investigated. The left wall is suddenly heated to a constant temperature Th, while the right wall is suddenly cooled to a constant temperature Tc. Both the horizontal walls are insulated. The Finite Volume numerical method is used to solve the dimensionless governing equations. The results are obtained for the initial transient state assuaging to the steady state, and for Rayleigh number values of 102–104. It is indicated that the average Nusselt number showing an undershoot during the transient period and that the time needed to reach the steady state is longer for low Rayleigh number and shorter for high Rayleigh number.