A study on the combined effects of variable viscosity and thermal conductivity on forced convection in bidisperse porous medium

This research focuses on exploring the flow and temperature distribution of forced convection in a channel of horizontally placed parallel plate under the existence of a bidisperse porous medium (BDPM) emphasizing the consequences of viscous dissipation. The temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and viscosity are considered while maintaining the momentum slip and constant wall temperature at the channel walls. Analysis of the dynamics of fluid flow and the temperature distributions in both the fluid and solid phases is conducted by following the two-velocity and two-temperature models in this work. The model governing equations are non-dimensionalized following the relevant dimensionless parameters and the study calculates the temperature and velocity profiles for each phase using the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM). The obtained temperature and velocity are discussed and explained with the help of graphs. Certain fluids exhibit varying behaviors at different temperatures. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the temperature-dependent physical properties of the fluid for specific applications. This highlights the importance of implementing temperature-dependent physical properties in the analysis. Throughout the investigation, it is discovered that the viscosity parameter has a greater influence on velocity as compared to temperature, the same for thermal conductivity on temperature. The impact of physical parameters including skin friction, volume flow rate, and Nusselt number on both plates are also examined in this study. The findings are discussed, and tables displaying numerical values for various physical characteristics are provided for both the liquid and solid phases. The results obtained were also compared with existing literature, revealing a strong alignment between them.