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Abstract
Natural convection heat transfer from an isothermal vertical surface in a fluid-saturated porous medium under the influence of thermal stratification has been numerically analyzed using the finite element method. The combined effect of Rayleigh number and thermal stratification on the global heat flux in porous cavities of varying aspect ratios has been analyzed. It is observed that the global heat flux (1) decreases with increasing values of the thermal stratification b and (2) increases with increasing values of Rayleigh number Ra. However, the cumulative heat flux along the midsegment of the vertical wall increases with increasing b and decreases with Ra. With increasing b, a reduction in the convection zone with a downward drift is noticed. Global heat flux can be boosted by reducing the width L of the cavity by a factor of ∼8 or more. The flow field and the heat transfer results art presented through the streamlines, isotherms, and global heat flux plots.