The effect of the local inertial term on the fluid flow in channels partially filled with porous material

The transient hydrodynamics behavior of the fluid flow in parallel-plate ch annels partially filled with porous material is investigated numerically. T he role of the local macroscopic inertial term in the porous domain momentu m equation is studied. It is found that the effect of the local inertial te rm on the channel hydrodynamics behavior is insignificant when Da < 1 x 10( -6), over the entire range of 0.1 < mu (R) < 10, 0 < A < 10(4), and for all porous substrate thicknesses. Also, it is found that the deviation between the predictions of the transient and the quasi-steady models is more signi ficant in the porous domain and the deviation decreases as the time proceed s. <(c)> 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.