Study of mixed convective heat transfer in a sintered porous channel

This investigation experimentally elucidates mixed heat convection in a rectangular channel with porous medium, and analyzes the cooling performance of electronics. The test sections are sintered copper granules with dimensions of 5 × 5 × 1 cm and average diameters of 0.704 mm and 1.163 mm. A porous channel is heated using air as the working fluid. The measured variables include the heat flux on the heat surface, the local wall temperature in the flow direction, the inlet/outlet pressure, and the flow rate. The boundary condition is that the heating surface of the lower plate of the test section is heated by an isothermal heat flux, while the other three sides are thermally insulated; the heat flux is between 0.23 and 1.86 Watt/cm2. The mean air flow rate within a porous channel is between 0.3 and 4.0 m/s. The thermally developed region and the fully developed region are measured. This experiment is directed at understanding the influence on heat transfer based on the diameter of the sintered copper granules, Reynolds number, and heat flux. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(2): 64–77, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20050