Soret effect on the boundary layer flow regime in a vertical porous enclosure subject to horizontal heat and mass fluxes

The combined thermo- and double-diffusive convection in a vertical tall porous cavity subject to horizontal heat and mass fluxes was investigated analytically and numerically using the Darcy model with the Boussinesq approximation. The investigation focused on the effect of Soret diffusion on the boundary layer flow regime. The governing parameters were the thermal Rayleigh number, R-T, the Lewis number, Le, the buoyancy ratio, N, the Soret parameter, M, which characterized the Soret effect, and the aspect ratio of the enclosure, A,. The results demonstrated the existence of a boundary layer flow solution for which the Soret parameter had a strong effect on the heat and mass transfer characteristics. For M not equal 1 and M not equal -1/Le, the profiles of the vertical velocity component, v, temperature, T, and solute concentration, S, exhibited boundary layer behaviors at high Rayleigh numbers. Furthermore, as RT increased, the temperature and solute concentration became vertically and linearly stratified in the core region of the enclosure. The thermo-diffusion effect on the boundary layer thickness, delta, was discussed for a wide range of the governing parameters. It was demonstrated analytically that the thickness of the boundary layer could either increase or decrease when the Soret parameter was varied, depending on the sign of the buoyancy ratio. The effect of R-T on the fluid flow properties and heat and mass transfer characteristics was also investigated. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.