Fluid-structure interaction analysis of non-Darcian effects on natural convection in a porous enclosure

Non-Darcian effects on natural convective flow and heat transfer in a square enclosure filled with a porous medium was analyzed numerically using fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model. The transport equations were solved for various pertinent parameters using a finite element formulation based on the Galerkin method of weighted residuals. Such parameters included Rayleigh number, porosity, elasticity of the flexible wall, and the effective thermal conductivity of the porous medium. Further, the fluid domain was described by an Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation that is fully coupled to the structure domain. Different flow models for porous media such as Darcy's law model and Darcy-Forchheimer model were considered in this investigation. Comparisons of isotherms, streamlines, and average Nusselt number are made between rigid and FSI models. The results of this investigation showed that Rayleigh number and the elasticity of the flexible wall had a profound effect on the shape of the flexible wall and consequently on the heat transfer enhancement within the enclosure. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.