Numerical Study on Fluid Flow Behavior and Heat Transfer Performance of Porous Media Manufactured by a Space Holder...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Heat Transfer
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Velocity and temperature fields are critical for metal foam heat exchangers but challenging to measure experimentally.
• Open-cell metal foams offer potential for efficient heat exchange applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate fluid flow behavior and heat transfer performance in open-cell metal foams.
• To analyze the impact of porosity and pore size on thermal-hydraulic characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Creation of 3D porous models with varying porosities (55-75%) and pore sizes (250-1000 μm) using Lost Carbonate Sintering data.
• Numerical simulation of fluid flow across a wide velocity range (0.0001-0.3 m/s), encompassing laminar and turbulent regimes.
• Calculation of key parameters: pressure drop, heat transfer coefficient, permeability, and form drag coefficient.

Main Results:

• Pressure drop increases with lower porosity and larger pore size.
• Permeability rises with porosity but increases with pore size; form drag coefficient decreases with porosity and increases with pore size.
• Heat transfer coefficient is enhanced by higher velocity and porosity, but slightly reduced by larger pore size.

Conclusions:

• The numerical model accurately predicts metal foam thermal-hydraulic performance, validated against experimental data.
• Optimizing porosity and pore size is crucial for designing efficient metal foam heat exchangers.
• At high velocities, heat dissipation is localized to the foam region nearest the heat source.