Heat convection transfer in a channel filled with compact spheres

The present work deals with a modified Darcy model which includes Brinkman friction, flow inertia and a channelling effect due to a region of higher porosity near the solid walls when spherical particles are packed together. The flow under consideration is bounded by two heated parallel plates. Two boundary conditions are investigated at the heated plates: constant heat flux and constant temperature. The momentum and energy equations are solved numerically using the tri-diagonal matrix algorithm and the Keller Box method, respectively. Results are obtained for different flow rates, and particle diameter to channel half-width ratios. Velocity and temperature profiles, as well as local and fully developed Nusselt numbers are presented and discussed. (author)