Thermo‐Hydraulic Performance and Entropy Generation Analysis of a Rectangular Channel Partially Filled With Non‐Uniform Copper Metal Foam

Abstract

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation into the thermo‐hydraulic behavior and second‐law thermodynamic irreversibility of a rectangular channel partially filled with non‐uniform copper metal foam operating under a turbulent regime (). The effects of five distinct porous geometric profiles—arranged along either the channel boundaries or the centerline core—are systematically evaluated utilizing a two‐domain model governed by the extended Darcy–Forchheimer equation and the standard turbulence framework. The numerical model is validated strictly against benchmark experimental data, demonstrating excellent physical consistency. The findings show that the uniform metal foam configuration enhances heat dissipation but causes an unsustainable increase in pumping power due to form drag. Optimizing foam placement—specifically using a forward‐tapered profile (Case 1)—reduces hydraulic losses by targeting the thin thermal boundary layer at the inlet and allowing core flow expansion downstream. With respect to uniform foam inserts, this non‐uniform configuration reduces the fluid friction factor penalty by up to 67.05% without compromising the maximum heat transfer capacity by more than 10% and thereby results in a global improvement of 27.6% in the Performance Evaluation Criterion (PEC). Entropy generation analysis reveals that the system is working in a high‐friction dominated regime at high velocities, with the Bejan number being very small (). Hence, the tapered boundary configuration (Case 1) represents the absolute minimum total thermodynamic entropy generation rate, which makes it the best design from a first‐law and second‐law point of view, when the mechanical energy degradation is minimized.