Heat transfer performance of different lattice structures in porous medium combustion

Porous medium combustion technology has notable characteristics of high efficiency and low emissions, which makes it widely applicable in industrial furnaces and heating systems. This study considers the influence of lattice structure on solid conduction and convective heat transfer. This study used a pore-scale model to perform numerical simulations of the Kelvin, cubic (Cube), and body-centered cubic (BC - Cube) lattice structures. The porosity and flow velocity are taken as the variables for investigation, while the effective thermal conductivity, pressure drop, convective heat transfer coefficient, area goodness factor, and convective heat transfer rate are used as evaluation criteria for analysis. The results indicate that within the 80% to 95% porosity range, the effective thermal conductivity of the lattice structure decreases with increasing porosity. At a porosity of 80%, the effective thermal conductivity of the Kelvin lattice structure differs by 7.6% from that of the body-centered cubic lattice structure, demonstrating that the pillar area and heat transfer path of the lattice structure significantly influence its effective thermal conductivity. Furthermore, across the fluid velocity range of 0.5 to 10 m/s, the Kelvin lattice structure exhibits the highest pressure drop, convective heat transfer coefficient, and convective heat transfer rate, while the body-centered cubic lattice structure shows the best overall convective heat transfer capability.