Three-dimensional double-diffusive convection in a porous cubic enclosure due to opposing gradients of temperature and concentration (Q4951935)

The authors examine three-dimensional flow patterns in a fluid-saturated porous cubic cavity subject to opposing horizontal temperature and concentration graidents. A three-dimensional non-Darcy model describes the flow under the conditions of constant temperature and concentration imposed along the two vertical sidewalls of the cubic enclosure, while the remaining walls are impermeable and adiabatic. The governing equations are solved numerically using staggered non-uniform control volumes. The volume-weighted average procedure allows to determine all the quantities defined at the control-volume centre, such as pressure, temperature and concentration. The authors use \(80\times 80\times 80\) grids as the finest level, with denser grid clustering near the boundaries constructed with the sine function for the grid distribution. The main controlling parameters, such as porous thermal Rayleigh number, Lewis number and buoyancy ratio, are varied to gain new insights into the formation of different flow patterns. Finally, the authors present comprehensive Nusselt and Sherwood number data as functions of the governing parameters. The results indicate that double-diffusive flows in enclosures with opposing buoyancy forces are strictly three-dimensional in a certain range of parameters. It is also found that at high Lewis numbers multiple dipole vortices form transverse planes near the horizontal top and bottom surfaces, which was not observed in two-dimensional models.