Perturbation analysis of radiative effect on free convection flows in porous medium in the presence of pressure work and viscous dissipation

The effect of thermal radiation with a regular three-parameter perturbation analysis has been studied for the effects in some free convection flows of Newtonian fluid-saturated porous medium. The effects of the thermal radiation, permeability of the porous medium, pressure stress work and viscous dissipation on the flows and temperature fields have been included in the analysis. Four different vertical flows have been analyzed, those adjacent to an isothermal surface, uniform heat flux surface, a plane plume and flow generated from a horizontal line energy source, and, a vertical adiabatic surface. Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The numerical results of the perturbation analysis for four conditions are solved numerically by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. Numerical values of the main physical quantities are the skin friction and a heat transfer and total heat and mass convected downstream are presented in a tabular form with the parameters characterizing the radiation, permeability of the porous medium, pressure stress work and viscous dissipation. The obtained results are compared and a representative set is displayed graphically to illustrate the influences of the radiation, permeability of the porous medium, pressure stress work and viscous dissipation on the velocity and the temperature profiles. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.