UDK 536.25

N. Mahapatra1), G. C. Dash2), 
S. Panda3), and M. Acharya4)

EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL REACTION ON FREE CONVECTION FLOW
THROUGH A POROUS MEDIUM BOUNDED BY A VERTICAL SURFACE

The effect of a chemical reaction on a free convection 
flow through a porous medium bounded by a vertical infinite surface 
has been studied.  Velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles 
have been obtained for different values of parameters like the Grashof 
number, Prandtl number, and the chemical reaction parameter in the 
presence of homogeneous chemical reaction of first order. It is observed 
that the velocity and concentration increase during a generative reaction 
and decrease in a destructive reaction. The same is true for the behavior 
of the fluid temperature. The presence of the porous media diminishes 
the temperature.

Keywords: Chemical reaction, porous medium, generative 
reaction, Eckert number. 

1)Dept. of Mathematics, College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar-751024, 
India; 2)Dept. of Mathematics, ITER, SOA University, Bhubaneswar-751030, 
India; 3)Dept. of Mathematics, National Insitute of Technology, Calicut-673601, 
India; email: satyanand@nitc.ac.in; 
4)Dept. of Physics, C.B. Sc & H, OUAT, Bhubaneswar-751003, India. 
Original article submitted September 17, 2008; revision submitted July 8, 2009.