Mixed Convection in a Horizontal Channel with Local Heating from Below

Mixed convection induced in the entrance region of a horizontal plane channel by a bottom heat source of finite dimensions is considered. The calculations were performed for the Prandtl number Pr = 1, Grashof numbers ranging from 4 · 10³ to 3.2 · 10⁴, and Reynolds numbers varying from 0 to 10. The dimensions of the heat source and its location were also varied. The results were obtained from a numerical solution of the 2D unsteady Navier-Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation, written in vorticity – stream function – temperature variables. The solution was found by the Galerkin finite element method.