Optimizing heat transport in a permeable cavity with an isothermal solid block: Influence of nanoparticles volume fraction and wall velocity ratio

Abstract

This study examines the influence of wall velocity ratio on mixed convective heat transport in a permeable cavity containing an isothermal solid block at its center. The analysis considers the characteristics of various flow variables, i.e., Darcy number, wall velocity ratio, Richardson number, and volume fraction of suspended nanoparticles, on heat transport and material flow characteristics. The principal equations are solved implementing the semi-implicit method for pressure linked equations algorithm, and the outcomes are compared with existing literature. The study shows that rising estimations of Darcy number, velocity ratio, Richardson number, and nanoparticles volume fraction lead to improved heat transfer rates. For example, at high Richardson number (100) and solid volume fraction (0.05), increasing the velocity ratio from 0.5 to 1.5 results in a 6% (5%) upsurge in heat transport rate. Conversely, at smaller Richardson number (0.01), the heat transport rate upsurges by 29% (28%). Similarly, at high Darcy numbers and low wall velocity ratios, a 3% (4%) escalate in heat transport rate is observed with an increase in nanoparticles concentration from 0 to 0.05, while a 9% (8%) increase in thermal performance is achieved at low Darcy numbers. The study emphasizes the importance of optimizing the combination of nanoparticles volume fraction, Darcy number, velocity ratio, and Richardson number to maximize thermal performance in the porous cavity.