Impact of an Elliptical Porous Obstruction on Hydraulic and Thermal Features for Flow Through Channel with a Backward Facing Step

The current work analyzes the effect of elliptical porous obstruction on the hydrothermal performance in a backward facing step channel (BFSC). We perform computational simulations for the following parametric range: Re (Reynolds number) = 25 to 250, Da (Darcy number) =  \({10}^{-5} \text{to} {10}^{-2}\) , , and aspect ratio (AR) of the porous obstruction = 0.25 to 25. It reveals that the introduction of an obstruction significantly influences the velocity profile and heat transfer features. The average Nusselt number (Nuavg) remains almost constant when Da is increased from 10–5 to 10–4 and the same decreases by 30.61% when Da is increased from 10–4 to 10–2. On further increasing Da from 10–2 to 10–1, Nuavg value increases by around 3.8%. With an increase in AR, Nuavg value decreases and the highest Nuavg is obtained at AR = 0.625 and the lowest one is at AR = 25. Keyboard: Backward facing step channel, heat transfer, finite element method, porous obstacle.