Enhancement of heat exchanger thermal hydraulic performance using aluminum foam

This paper deals with an experimental study of a turbulent forced convection in a rectangular channel partly fitted with aluminum metallic foam blocks. Experiments were carried out on samples having a constant porosity of 93.8%, different grades of 5, 20 and 40 PPI, and three different height ratios of 0.6, 0.8 and 1. The blocks were arranged in a baffle like configuration. A constant heat flux of 2 W/cm2 was applied on the bottom wall of the test section, while air velocity was varied from 1 to 5 m·s−1. Temperatures of the wall along the flow direction as well as those of the inlet and outlet sections have been measured. Additionally, pressure drop measurements across the aluminum foam samples were performed. The results showed that there is an optimal choice of the height and the grade of the metal foam for which the heat transfer and pressure drop (for an optimal design of heat exchangers) to reach the design goal. Moreover, this configuration was compared to solid fins aluminum baffles widely used in heat exchangers.