Enhanced magnetohydrodynamic thermal convection in a partially driven cavity packed with a nanofluid‐saturated porous medium

Abstract

Convective heat transfer characteristics in the purview of fundamentals of flow physics in a two‐sided partially driven cavity (PDC) are addressed in this work. The effect of partial translational motion on the sidewalls of PDC can significantly alter the convective heat transfer characteristics. To explore this novel idea, a square enclosure packed with Cu–water nanofluid‐saturated porous media under the influence of the external magnetic field, heated around a protruded heater mounted at the bottom wall. The cavity is cooled at the upper half of the two sidewalls—partially translating upward or downward direction. Fundamentals of the evolved flow physics and mixed convection heat transfer characteristics are analyzed numerically using extensively validated FORTRAN code based on the finite volume approach. The impacts of the relevant parameters on fluid flow and heat transfer are investigated systematically. The governing parameters are wall speed (Reynolds number) and its direction, convection regime (Richardson number), permeability (Darcy number and porosity), magnetic field strength (Hartmann number), and nanoparticles volume concentration. The results show that the thermal performance of PDC is greatly influenced by all of the above parameters. Heat transfer is enhanced significantly at higher Reynolds number, Richardson number, Darcy number, and porosity and increases in the nanoparticles volume fraction for the opposing flow case.