Thermohydraulics of a metal foam-filled annulus

This paper offers numerical and experimental analysis of forced convection through an annulus filled with aluminum foam. Effects of flow rate and foam pore density on the performance of the heat exchanger were investigated. Specifically, 5 and 20 pore per inch (PPI) aluminum metal foams were tested at three different airflow rates; 20, 85 and 150 standard liter per minute. In parallel, the problem has been simulated numerically. Once validated against experimental data, numerical simulations were conducted to add to the level of details obtained from experiments. The thermal study was done by analyzing the temperature field throughout the porous volume and determining the thermal entrance length. This parameter, the thermal entrance length, establishes a reliable design criteria for metal foam-filled heat exchangers, since it marks the length beyond which heat transfer does not significantly increase while the pressure drop keeps growing.