Triple diffusion along a horizontal plate in a porous medium with convective boundary condition

• Published in: International journal of thermal sciences Vol. 86; no. 86; pp. 60 - 67
• Main Authors: Khan, W.A., Culham, J.R., Khan, Z.H., Pop, I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Masson SAS 01.12.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Convection and heat transfer; Exact sciences and technology; Flows through porous media; Fluid dynamics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Horizontal plate; Natural convection; Nonhomogeneous flows; Nusselt number; Physics; Porous medium; Sherwood number; Triple diffusion; Turbulent flows, convection, and heat transfer; Sherwood number; Natural convection; Horizontal plate; Nusselt number; Triple diffusion; Porous medium; Temperature distribution; Immersed body; Thermohaline convection; Digital simulation; Boundary conditions; Velocity distribution; Porous medium flow; Modelling; Boundary layers; Heat transfer; Concentration distribution; Finite difference method
• ISSN: 1290-0729; 1778-4166
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2014.06.035

The effects of triple diffusion on a horizontal plate immersed in a porous medium are investigated subject to a convective boundary condition. A Darcy model is used to analyze two different scenarios where salts with different compositions are dissolved in a fluid-saturated porous medium. The governing partial differential equations are reduced to ordinary (similarity) differential equations that are solved numerically using an implicit finite difference method with a quasi-linearization technique. Results are compared with the available data and are found to be in excellent agreement. Results of the dimensionless velocity, temperature, salts concentrations, reduced Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are presented for both buoyancy aiding and opposing flows. •The effects of triple diffusion are investigated under convective boundary condition.•The Darcy model is used.•Two salts are used in the fluid saturated porous medium.•The heat and mass transfer rates increase with controlling parameters in assisting flows.•In opposing flows, the behavior is opposite to assisting flows.