Local Thermal Non-Equilibrium Investigation on Natural Convection in Horizontal Channel Heated from Above and Partially Filled with Aluminum Foam

The configuration of two horizontal parallel walls, with heated upper plate and open cavities, gets considerable attention in many thermal engineering applications. In this work, a numerical investigation on steady state natural convection in a horizontal channel partially filled with a porous medium and heated at uniform heat flux from above is carried out. The local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) hypothesis is invoked. A three-dimensional model is realized and solved by means of the ANSYS-FLUENT code. Results are presented in terms of velocity and temperature fields and profiles, and they show that the use of porous medium improves the heat transfer in the channel due to the aluminum foam high conductivity.