Thermal dispersion effects on non-Darcy natural convection over horizontal plate with surface mass flux (Q1376151)

The authors investigate the combined effect of surface mass flux and thermal dispersion on non-Darcy free convection over a horizontal surface embedded in a porous medium. Both the wall temperature and surface mass flux (injection or suction) vary as powers of the coordinate along the surface. The thermal diffusivity coefficient has been assumed to be the sum of the molecular diffusivity and the dynamic diffusivity due to mechanical dispersion. Under these conditions, the authors obtain similarity solutions of the governing equations. The resulting ordinary differential equations are then solved numerically and results are presented in six figures and in one table. As the main conclusion, the authors find that the boundary layer thickness decreases whereas the heat transfer from the plate increases and the mass flux (suction or injection) parameter passes from values typical of the injection domain to those of the suction domain. The combined effect of thermal dispersion on the heat transfer rate from the plate is also discussed. However, the authors do not give any comparison of their results with other results from the available literature.