Porous Media Model Limit in Low Fin Packing Density Channel

Channels with high fins density can be considered as a porous media represented by a porous matrix.It is defined by its porosity, permeability, and the form drag coefficient. That means that it is not resolved explicitly but represented by a volumetric porous zone where a volume-averaged pressure gradient drag term is applied to the Navier–Stokes momentum equation. Porous media in heat exchanger industry is mostly used to gain on computational power, a compromise between classic CFD, which is the most precise but costly and empirical correlation, which are simple but imprecise and limited by geometries. Those method are applied to single-phase systems as well as phase changing systems. This paper focuses on the limits of the porous model for channel with low fin density.