Free convection and radiation characteristics for a vertical plate embedded in a porous medium

Steady two‐dimensional free convection flow due to combined effect of radiation and convection through a porous medium bounded by a vertical infinite plate is considered. The behaviour of Darcy and non‐Darcy flow is investigated. The flow of water through different porous media under different environmental conditions is discussed. Effect of four non‐dimensional parameters, i.e. Prandtl number (<i>Pr</i>), modified Grashof number (<i>G</i>), permeability parameter (<i>K</i>) and radiation parameter (<i>N</i>) has been studied. Effect of these parameters on Nusselt number is analysed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.