NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF FORCED CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER IN A MINI-CHANNEL WITH POROUS MEDIA AT DIFFERENT ORIENTATION ANGLES

With the rapid increase in world energy demand, it is of prominent importance to accelerate the heat transfer process and reduce energy losses. Numerous methods have been proposed and presented to accelerate and improve heat transfer in various systems. In this study, forced convection heat transfer in channels containing porous materials positioned at different angles (30°, 45°, and 90°) was investigated numerically under a turbulent flow regime. In the analyses performed using ANSYS Fluent R16, momentum equations were solved together with energy equations with the Darcy–Brinkman–Forchheimer model; the SIMPLE algorithm and k–ε turbulence model were applied in the solution process. Numerical solution accuracy was guaranteed by providing a mesh independence test and convergence criteria. The obtained results show that porous structures with a 45° inclination both provide maximum heat transfer with a high Nusselt number and cause acceptable pressure loss. Thermal performance of porous media increases significantly when compared to empty channels. The study reveals the effect of the geometrical arrangement angle of porous structures on heat transfer and flow dynamics and contributes to heat exchanger designs aimed at increasing energy efficiency.