Temperature Distribution in Porous Fins, Subjected to Convection and Radiation, Obtained from the Minimization of a Convex Functional

Abstract

This work proposes a convex functional endowed with a minimum, which occurs for the solution of the thermal radiation and natural convection heat transfer problem in a rectangular profile porous fin with a fluid flowing through it. The minimum principle ensures the (mathematically demonstrated) uniqueness of the solution and allows the problem simulation by employing a minimization procedure. Darcy's law with the Oberbeck-Boussinesq approximation simplifies the momentum equation. The energy equation assumes thermal equilibrium between the porous matrix and fluid, allowing comparisons with previous authors' models, which accounts for the effects of a porosity parameter, a radiation parameter, and a temperature ratio on the temperature. Results for very long fin and finite-length fin with insulated tip were successfully compared with previous works. Closed-form exact solutions for two limiting cases (no convection and no thermal radiation) are also presented.