Influence of flow conditions and foam parameters on pressure drop and heat transfer in flow of fluids through channels filled with metal foams

Opole University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Process Engineering, 5 Mikolajczyka Street, 45-271 Opole, Poland

^* Corresponding author: m.placzek@po.opole.pl

Abstract

This paper reports the results of research into air, water and oil flow through pipes filled with open-cell metal foams, which form a material with a considerable potential for application in the design of process equipment. This study applied three metal foams with various geometrical parameters. The objective of the experiments involved the measurement of pressure drop within a relatively large range of the variability of the flow conditions. On the basis of data from the literature and analysis of the results of experiments, an assessment was undertaken concerned with the influence of the geometrical parameters of the foams as well as velocities and fluid properties on the flow regime and pressure drop. The results demonstrate that the theory concerned with the fluid flow through porous media has a limited application with regard to metal foams due to the considerable turbulence of the flow through such foams. If flow occurs in other conditions than laminar regime, the permeability of metal foams is relative not only to the geometrical structure of the foams but also depends on the properties and velocity of the fluid. The present study demonstrated that the assessment of the flow regime can apply the modified Reynolds number in which the characteristics dimension is defined on the basis of the parameters accounting for the geometrical foam structure. Three flow regimes were distinguished – laminar flow, transient Forchheimer and transient Froud flow. The ranges corresponding to the occurrence of the particular flow regimes were subsequently determined.