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Transpirational cooling is an effective thermal protection method in hypersonic vehicles. In order to properly manage the high heat load, an understanding of the convective flow regimes as well as the thermophysical properties of the working fluid are required. Often, the vehicle’s fuel is re-purposed as the coolant or working fluid that is passed through the porous media. If the geometry is such that the coolant is heated from below, buoyancy-induced instability can ensue resulting in a mixed convection phenomena. Transpirational cooling applications require a unique analysis which combines a Darcy–Forchheimer relationship for the momentum relation, a flowing base state which introduces non-negligible convective terms for the energy equation, and a novel consideration of a cubic density dependence on temperature. This latter feature is justified by fitting thermodynamic data for typical transpirational cooling conditions. A base state solution is provided and the onset of instability is investigated using linear stability analysis. The governing equations are solved utilizing multiple methods, comparing results from a combination of analytical solutions, finite difference, power series, and Chebyshev methods. Results demonstrate excellent consistency in predictions across these methods and indicate that including non-linear density effects promote a stabilizing effect. Finally, the effect of varying the net through-flow in the porous media is investigated.

Rice florets are susceptible to high-temperature damage at anthesis, but rice production remains stable in the Riverina region of Australia even when the air temperature during flowering exceeds 40°C. To identify the mechanism that supports rice production under these conditions, we examined sterility and pollination in relation to microclimate and panicle temperature in an extremely hot paddy field in the Riverina region of New South Wales. In windy > 40°C weather, the panicle temperature was > 38°C at the windward edge of the crop but around 35°C inside the crop, probably because of strong transpirational cooling due to the extremely dry wind (15% RH). Pollen from the windward edge of the crop showed extremely poor germination, yet that from inside the crop showed sufficient germination for fertilization. Moreover, sterility inside the crop was significantly lower than that at windward edge. We concluded that the wind with large vapor pressure deficit enabled stable rice production under the extreme heat during flowering.

Even Under Extremely Hot (40ºC) Conditions During Anthesis, Heat-induced Floret Sterility Does Not Appear To Be A Serious Issue For Australian Rice Growers. This Contradicts Previously Reported Temperature Thresholds For Floret Sterility. To Determine The Factors Associated With Stable Rice Production Under Hot and Dry Conditions in The Riverina Region of New South Wales (Australia), We Examined Rice (Cv. ‘Langi’) Pollination At Different Distances From The Windward Edge of A Paddy Field and Its Association With Canopy Microclimate. With An Air Temperature of 34.5ºC and A Relative Humidity of 20.7% During Anthesis, Poor Pollination of Florets Occurred At The Windward Edge, But Pollination Remained Stable Farther From The Edge. The Temperature Difference Between The Air and The Panicles in The Canopy Reached As High As 6.8ºC Under These Conditions Because of Low Humidity and Strong Transpirational Cooling. Moreover, The Length of The Dehiscence At The Base of The Thecae During Anthesis Was Long; This Is A Desirable Trait For Heat Tolerance. The Long Basal Dehiscence of The Thecae of This Cultivar and The Lower Panicle Temperatures Relative To The Ambient Temperature Caused By High Transpirational Cooling Appear To Be The Key Factors Responsible For Stable Pollination Under The Extremely High Temperatures of The Riverina Region.