Investigating the effect of connection type of a sintered porous fin through a channel on heat transfer and fluid flow

Extended surfaces represent one of practical approaches to enhance heat transfer. Based on the laws of conductive and convective heat transfer, an increase in the area across which the object is in contact with the fluid can increase heat transfer. Due to its special structure, porous media can be seen as suitable alternatives for extended surface applications. On this basis, this research investigates the effect of connection type of sintered porous fins on heat transfer and pressure drop in the fluid flow. Connection model of four- and six-contact sintered balls of constant dimensions was evaluated by means of CFD simulation in this research. To describe the problem further, surface analysis on the reference cube is presented. The results indicate that the six-contact model has more porosity than the four-contact in reference cube by 29.45%. It was further found that the six-contact model tends to increase convective heat transfer by 33%. Results of surface analysis show that the main reasons for the difference in heat transfer between the four- and six-contact models are porosity and the angle at which balls are arranged with another.