NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF HEAT EXCHANGE IN A POROUS CHANNEL WITH HEAT GENERATION AND LOCAL THERMAL NONEQUILIBRIUM

We numerically investigate forced convection heat transfer with heat generation and local thermal nonequilibrium in a porous channel bounded by parallel plates. Macroscopic continuity, momentum, and energy equations are presented and solved. Local thermal nonequilibrium is considered by means of independent equations for the solid matrix and the working fl uid. The used numerical methodology is based on the control-volume approach. The eff ects of heat generation rate, thermal conductivity ratio, and Biot interstitial number on the local thermal equilibrium are presented. The main results obtained particularly show that lower values of the temperature diff erence (local thermal equilibrium) between the solid and the fl uid phases are obtained at low values of conductivity ratio and high values of Biot number, while large local temperature diff erences (local thermal nonequilibrium) are obtained for low Biot numbers values and high thermal conductivity ratios. Moreover, increasing heat generation rate generally leads to thermal nonequilibrium accentuation, particularly and most signifi cantly for low Biot number values.