Experimental study of mixed convection heat transfer in a vertical duct filled with metallic porous structures

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation to examine the potential of a simple and inexpensive porous insert developed specifically for augmenting heat transfer from the heated wall of a vertical duct under forced flow conditions. The porous insert used in the study consists of a stack of metallic perforated plates filled inside the duct. The characteristic features of the porous medium model on the hydrodynamic and heat transfer behavior have been investigated. The porous medium model developed in the present study shows thermo-hydrodynamic performance similar to those seen in metal foams. A correlation has been developed for predicting the Nusselt number from the geometry under consideration. The key novelty in the present work is the development of a new correlation for the Nusselt number that does not require any information from hydrodynamic studies. Over the range of parameters considered, the largest increase in the average Nusselt number of 4.52 times that for clear flow is observed with a porous material of porosity of 0.85. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.