Convective Heat Transfer in Porous Materials

TL;DR

This review discusses recent advances in convective heat transfer within porous materials, highlighting how porous media enable hybrid thermal metamaterials that combine convection and conduction for tunable thermal management.

Contribution

It introduces new strategies for harnessing porous materials to control and optimize convective heat transfer in complex thermal metamaterials.

Findings

Porous materials enable hybrid thermal metamaterials with tunable heat transfer.

Synergy between convection and conduction enhances thermal management.

Progress in transformation thermotics using convective heat transfer.

Abstract

Thermal convection stands out as an exceptionally efficient thermal transport mechanism, distinctly separate from conduction and radiation. Yet, the inherently elusive nature of fluid motion poses challenges in accurately controlling convective heat flow. While recent innovations have harnessed thermal convection to achieve effective thermal conductivity, fusing thermal convection in liquids and thermal conduction in solids together to form hybrid thermal metamaterials is still challenging. In this review, we introduce the latest progress in convective heat transfer. Leveraging the right porous materials as a medium allows for a harmonious balance and synergy between convection and conduction, establishing stable heat and fluid flows. This paves the way for the innovative advancements in transformation thermotics. These findings demonstrate the remarkable tunability of convective heat transport in complex multicomponent thermal metamaterials.