THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL HEAT AND MASS-TRANSFER IN HIGHLY POROUS-MEDIA

The heat and mass transfer coefficients around the porous medium put on the flat plate at a distance from the leading edge of the flat plate are calculated numerically for two-dimensional laminar flows. To verify the analytical model developed and invoke the heat mass transfer analogy, an experiment is carried out by the naphthalene sublimation technique for the case of negligible radiation field. From the effects of the wake, the Sherwood number is maximum around the region where the porous medium is attached. The theoretical results correspond well with the experimental results at small Darcy number. Permeability of ceramic blocks used for experiment is also measured and the Forchheimer equation is applicable in our measurement range.