Natural convection of a nanofluid-filled circular enclosure partially saturated with a porous medium using ISPH method

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to simulate the natural convection of a heated square shape embedded in a circular enclosure filled with nanofluid using an incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) method. Design/methodology/approach In the ISPH method, the evaluated pressure was stabilized by using a modified source term in solving the pressure Poisson equation. The divergence of the velocity was corrected, and the dummy particles were used to treat the rigid boundary. Dummy wall particles were initially settled in outer layers of the circular enclosure for preventing particle penetration and reducing the error of truncated kernel. The circular enclosure was partially filled with a porous medium near to the outer region. The single-phase model was used for the nanofluid, and the Brinkman–Forchheimer-extended Darcy model was used for the porous medium. Dummy wall particles were initially settled in outer layers of circular enclosure for preventing particle penetration and reducing error from the truncated kernel on the boundary. Findings The length of the inner square shape plays an important role in enhancing the heat transfer and reducing the fluid flow inside a circular enclosure. The porous layer represents a resistance force for the fluid flow and heat transfer, and, consequently, the velocity field and temperature distributions are reduced at the outer region of the circular cylinder. Then, the radius of the inner square shape, Darcy parameter and radius of the porous layer were considered the main factors for controlling the fluid flow and heat transfer inside a circular enclosure. The average Nusselt number decreases as the inner square length, radius of the porous layer and solid volume fraction increase. Originality/value The stabilized ISPH method is corrected for simulating the natural convection from an inner hot square inside a nanofluid-filled circular enclosure saturated with a partial layer of a porous medium.