Analysis and optimization of convection in channels and porous media

Chapter 1 is an analytical and numerical study of the generation and flow of methane gas through a layer of porous medium impregnated with solid clathrate hydrates. Chapter 2 uses the numerical model developed in Chapter 1, and shows that the presence of a vertical geothermal gradient and nonuniform porosity and permeability have a significant effect on the rate of gas generation. Chapter 3 addresses the fundamental problem of maximizing the thermal contact between an entire heat-generating volume and a pulsating stream of coolant that bathes the volume. Chapter 4 presents a series of examples in which the global performance of flow systems is optimized subject to global constraints. Chapter 5 describes a hierarchical strategy to developing the optimal internal structure of a round heat-generating body cooled at its center with the help of optimally distributed inserts of high-conductivity material. Finally, Chapter 6 considers the fundamental problem of squeezing into a fixed volume the highest heat transfer rate that can be made to occur between two streams at different initial temperatures.