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Abstract
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In this study, a numerical investigation was performed on mixed convection of non-Newtonian fluid flow in a constant
wall temperature porous channel. The power law and modified Brinkmane-Forchheimer extended Darcy models were
used in non-Newtonian fluid and porous media simulations, respectively. The flow was laminar, steady, and incompressible.
The governing equations were solved using the projection finite difference method by writing a FORTRAN
program. The effect of power law index, Richardson number, and Darcy number on the fluid flow and heat transfer was
investigated. The investigation on the influence of channel inclination when natural convection has aiding or opposing
effect on forced convection is the novelty of this study. The results indicated that for opposing flow, forced convection
effect was weakened by natural convection and centerline velocity increased, while for aiding flow it decreased. By
decreasing the Darcy number to small values, the effect of the Richardson number on the hydrodynamic behavior along
the channel became negligible. Nusselt number values were higher for shear thinning fluids than for shear thickening
fluids. The velocity profiles in inclined channels were tended toward the bottom wall. Also, the variation of Nusselt
number with channel inclination was more considerable for higher Darcy numbers.
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