Analysis of process efficiency: Role of flow and thermal characteristics on entropy production and heat transfer rates for thermal convection in porous beds confined within triangular configurations with hot slanted walls

Abstract

Flow and heating characteristics associated with heat transfer rates vis-a-vis entropy generation based on flow and thermal irreversibilities are numerically studied for thermal convection in the porous bed confined within various configurations of triangular enclosures. The triangular configurations involve various vertex angles ($\phi ={45}^{°}$ and ${60}^{°}$) with three tilt positions (configurations 1–3) subjected to a linear heating pattern of the slanted walls. Numerical studies are carried out for various dimensionless parameters (Pr_m and Da_m) at fixed Ra_m. Simulation results infer that the triangular configuration 3 [configuration 3: triangle is tilted perpendicularly from horizontal position (configuration 1 or 2)] involving $\phi ={60}^{°}$ is the optimal configuration based on the larger rate of heat transfer and moderate entropy production at larger porosities ($D{a}_m\ge {10}^{-3}$) for buoyancy dominant scenarios ($R{a}_m={10}^6$) irrespective of Pr_m.

Keywords:

• Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer model
• entropy production
• heat transfer rates
• linear heating
• porous bed
• thermal convection
• triangular configurations