Heat transfer and thermodynamic performance of convective–radiative cooling double layer walls with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and internal heat generation

Composite geometries have numerous applications in industry and scientific researches. This work investigates the temperature distribution, and local and total entropy generation rates within two-layer composite walls using conjugate convection and radiation boundary conditions. Thermal conductivities of the materials of walls are assumed temperature-dependent. Temperature-dependent internal heat generations are also incorporated into the modeling. The differential transformation method (DTM) is used as an analytical technique to tackle the highly nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations. Thereafter, the local and total entropy generation rates are calculated using the DTM formulated temperature distribution. An exact analytical solution, for the temperature-independent model without radiation effect, is also derived. The correctness and accuracy of the DTM solution are checked against the exact solution. After verification, effects of thermophysical parameters such as location of the interface, convection–conduction parameters, radiation–conduction parameters, and internal heat generations, on the temperature distribution, and both local and total entropy generation rates are examined. To deliver the minimum total entropy generation rate, optimum values for some parameters are also found. Since composite walls are widely used in many fields, the abovementioned investigation is a beneficial tool for many engineering industries and scientific fields to minimize the entropy generation, which is the exergy destruction, of the system.