Thermal analysis of natural convection and radiation in porous fins

In this study, the effects of radiation and convection heat transfer in porous media are considered. The geometry considered is that of a rectangular profile fin. The porous fin allows the flow to infiltrate through it and solid-fluid interaction takes place. This study is performed using Darcy's model to formulate heat transfer equation. To study the thermal performance, three types of cases are considered viz, long fin, finite length fin with insulated tip and finite length fin with tip exposed. The theory section addresses the derived governing equation. The effects of the porosity parameter S(h), radiation parameter G and temperature ratio C(T) on the dimensionless temperature distribution and heat transfer rate are discussed. The results suggest that the radiation transfers more heat than a similar model without radiation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.