Modeling Heat Transfer Enhancement of Ferrofluid (Fe₃O₄–H₂O) Flow in a Microchannel Filled with a Porous Medium

Abstract

Heat transfer characteristics and hydrodynamical properties of ferrofluid through microchannels with non-uniform permeable walls temperature and filled with porous media plays an important role in modern microfluidic applications, such as solar collectors, nuclear reactors, micro-electro-chemical cell transport, micro heat exchanging, microchip cooling, and electronic equipment. Therefore, this paper presents the investigation of ferrofluid (Fe3O4-H2O) heat transfer characteristics as well as hydrodynamical properties in a permeable microchannel with non-uniform permeable walls. The semi-discretization finite difference method is utilized to solve the highly non-linear partial differential equations that govern the momentum and energy equations. Accordingly, the numerical outcomes reveal that the ferrofluid velocity and temperature profiles indicate a rising trend as the pressure gradient parameter, the variable viscosity parameter, the Darcy number, the Eckert number, and Prandtl number increase. The Reynolds number, which is a suction/injection parameter, shows a contrary influence on the ferrofluid velocity and temperature whereas nanoparticles volume fraction and the Forchheimer constant show a decreasing effect on the ferrofluid velocity and temperature. The outcomes also depict that the coefficient of skin friction at the cold wall of the microchannel is larger for higher values of the nanoparticles volume fraction, the variable viscosity parameter, the Darcy number, and the Eckert number. Besides, the coefficient of skin friction at the hot wall rises with the Darcy number, and the Prandtl number. Furthermore, the heat transfer rate at both cold and hot walls of the microchannel increases as the variable viscosity parameter, the Darcy number, the Eckert number, and the Prandtl number increase. The nanoparticles volume fraction and Darcy number show a retarding effect on the heat transfer rate at both walls of the microchannel.