Transient laminar natural convection in a partitioned enclosure heated by uniform flux

Transient laminar natural convection in an enclosure partitioned by an adiabatic baffle is investigated numerically. The enclosure is heated by uniform heat flux from left wall and cooled from right wall which is kept at isothermal. A penalty finite element method with Newton-Raphson iteration algorithm and a backward difference scheme dealing with time term are adopted to solve governing equations. The effects of the baffle and Rayleigh number are found to be substantial on heat transfer mechanism during transient process. However, the variations of heat transfer mechanism occur mainly in the first one-third period of the time of transient, in spite of the present or not, or location of a baffle at the conditions of Rayleigh number being 10⁴ and 10⁶ in this study.Transiente, laminare freie Konvektion in einem von einer adiabaten Wand unterteilten Hohlraum wurde numerisch untersucht. Der Hohlraum wird von einem gleichmäßigen Wärmestrom von der linken Wand beheizt und von der rechten isothermen Wand gekühlt. Ein Finite-Element-Verfahren mit dem Newton-Raphson Iterationsalgorithmus und dem Differenzenverfahren mit Zeitterm sind übernommen worden, um bestehende Gleichungen zu lösen. Die Trennwand und die Rayleigh-Zahl sind für den Wärmeübergangsmechanismus während der transienten Phase von wesentlicher Bedeutung. Für den in dieser Studie untersuchten Bereich der Rayleigh-Zahl von 10⁴ und 10⁶ treten Veränderungen im Wärmeübergangsmechanismus hauptsächlich im ersten Drittel der transienten Phase auf und sind unabhängig von der Anwesenheit und Plazierung der Trennwand.     

MHD natural convection flow and heat transfer in a laterally heated partitioned enclosure

This study looks at MHD natural convection flow and heat transfer in a laterally heated enclosure with an off-centred partition. Governing equations in the form of vorticity–stream function formulation are solved using the polynomial differential quadrature (PDQ) method. Numerical results are obtained for various values of the partition location, Rayleigh, Prandtl and Hartmann numbers. The results indicate that magnetic field significantly suppresses flow, and thus heat transfer, especially for high Rayleigh number values. The results also show that the x-directional magnetic field is more effective in damping convection than the y-directional magnetic field, and the average heat transfer rate decreases with an increase in the distance of the partition from the hot wall. The average heat transfer rate decreases up to 80% if the partition is placed at the midpoint and an x-directional magnetic field is applied. The results also show that flow and heat transfer have little dependence on the Prandtl number.     

Double-diffusive natural convection in a porous enclosure partially heated from below and differentially salted

This paper reports numerical results of two-dimensional double-diffusive natural convection in a square porous cavity partially heated from below while its upper surface is cooled at a constant temperature. The vertical walls of the porous matrix are subjected to a horizontal concentration gradient. The parameters governing the problem are the thermal Rayleigh number (Ra=100 and 200), the Lewis number (Le=0.1, 1 and 10), the buoyancy ratio (−10N10) and the relative position of the heating element with respect to the vertical centerline of the cavity (δ=0 and 0.5). The effect of the governing parameters on fluid characteristics is analyzed. The multiplicity of solutions is explored and the existence of asymmetric bicellular flow is proved when the heated element is shifted towards a vertical boundary (δ=0.5). The solutal buoyancy forces induced by horizontal concentration gradient lead to the elimination of the multiplicity of solutions obtained in pure thermal convection when N reaches some threshold value which depends on Le and Ra.     

Natural convection in an inclined enclosure containing internal energy sources and cooled from below

Natural convection in an inclined enclosure from below and containing internally heated fluid has been investigated using a finite difference calculation procedure. Results have been obtained for Rayleigh number values up to 10⁶ and for inclination angles of 30 and 60°. For internal Rayleigh numbers that are much larger than the external Rayleigh number, the flow rises in the interior and moves down both the hot and cold walls. On the other hand, if the external Rayleigh number has a larger magnitude, the flow moves upwards along the hot surface and downwards along the cold surface. For the latter situation, the inner core is multicellular in nature at large external Rayleigh numbers. The average heat flux ratio along the cold surface (convective heat flux/corresponding conduction heat flux) increases with increasing external Rayleigh number and decreasing internal ratio is non-monotonic in nature. The heat flux ratio along both surfaces is observed to be strongly dependent on the inclination angle at high external Rayleigh numbers. A maximum in the local heat flux along the cold surface is obtained in the vicinity of x/L = 1 where hot fluid, either from the interior or directly from the opposite hot wall, meets the surface. Along the hot wall, a maximum in the heat flux ra flo     

Binary-mixture convection in connected channels heated from below

Supercritical binary-mixture flows in connected channels of finite depth are studied theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that, in contrast to uniform fluids, in the mixture the convection excitation is “hard” and specific transient flows and oscillation regimes are observed. A mechanism explaining the phenomena observed is proposed and confirmed by a theoretical solution of the problem. The amplitude curves and the channel distributions of the velocity, temperature, and admixture concentration are obtained. These illustrate the competition between the thermodiffusion and thermo-gravitational convection mechanisms.     

Numerical study of convection of a liquid heated from below

The equilibrium of a liquid heated from below is stable only for small values of the vertical temperature gradient. With increase of the temperature gradient a critical equilibrium situation occurs, as a result of which convection develops. If the liquid fills a closed cavity, then there is a discrete sequence of critical temperature gradients (Rayleigh numbers) for which the equilibrium loses stability with respect to small characteristic disturbances. This sequence of critical gradients and motions may be found from the solution of the linear problem of equilibrium stability relative to small disturbances. If the temperature gradient exceeds the lower critical value, then (for steady-state heating conditions) there is established in the liquid a steady convective motion of a definite amplitude which depends on the magnitude of the temperature gradient. Naturally, the amplitude of the steady convective motion cannot be determined from linear stability theory; to find this amplitude we must solve the problem of convection with heating from below in the nonlinear formulation. A nonlinear study of the steady motion of a liquid in a closed cavity with heating from below was made in [1]. In that study it was shown that for Rayleigh numbers R which are less than the lower critical value R_c steady-state motions of the liquid are not possible. With R>R_c a steady convection arises, whose amplitude near the threshold is small and proportional to (R–R_c)^1/2 (the so-called soft instability)-this is in complete agreement with the results of the phenom-enological theory of Landau [2, 3].Primarily, various versions of the method of expansion in powers of the amplitude [4–8] have been used, and, consequently, the results obtained in those studies are valid only for values of R which are close to R_c, i. e., near the convection threshold.It is apparent that the study of developed convective motion far from the threshold can be carried out only numerically, with the use of digital computers. In [9, 10] the numerical methods have been successfully used for the study of developed convection in an infinite plane horizontal liquid layer.The present paper undertakes the numerical study of plane convective motions of a liquid in a closed cavity of square section. The complete nonlinear system of convection equations is solved by the method of finite differences on a digital computer for various values of the Rayleigh number, the maximal value exceeding by a factor of 40 the minimal critical value R_c. The numerical solution permits following the development of the steady motion which arises with R>R_c in the course of increase of the Rayleigh number and permits study of the oscillatory motions which occur at some value of the parameter R. The heat transfer through the cavity is studied. The corresponding linear problem on equilibrium stability is solved approximately by the Galerkin method.     

Natural convection of non-Newtonian power law fluids in a shallow horizontal rectangular cavity uniformly heated from below

Analytical and numerical study is conducted for two-dimensional steady-state buoyancy driven flow of a non-Newtonian power law fluid confined in a shallow rectangular horizontal cavity uniformly heated from below, while its short vertical rigid sides are considered adiabatic. The effect of the non-Newtonian behaviour on the onset of convection, fluid flow, temperature field, and heat transfer is examined. A closed approximate analytical solution is developed on the basis of the parallel flow assumption and the obtained results are validated numerically by solving the full governing equations.     

Natural convection in inclined partitioned enclosures

The problem of steady, laminar, natural convective flow of a viscous fluid in an inclined enclosure with partitions is considered. Transverse gradient of temperature is applied on the two opposing regular walls of the inclined enclosure while the other walls are maintained adiabatic. The problem is formulated in terms of the vorticity-stream function procedure. A numerical solution based on the finite volume method is obtained. Representative results illustrating the effects of the enclosure inclination angle and the degree of irregularity on the contour maps of the streamlines and temperature are reported and discussed. In addition, results for the average Nusselt number at the heated wall of the enclosure and the difference of extreme stream-function values are presented and discussed for various Rayleigh numbers, inclination angles and dimensionless partition heights.     

Oscillatory convection in a viscoelastic fluid through a porous layer heated from below

The stability of a viscoelastic fluid in a densely packed horizontal porous layer heated from below is considered using an Oldroyd model. Critical Rayleigh number, wave number, and frequency for overstability are determined by applying the linear stability theory. It is shown that the critical Rayleigh number is invariant under all relevant boundary combinations. Also, it is found that the effect of elasticity of the fluid is to destabilize the system and that of porosity is to stabilize the same. The limiting case of very high Prandtl number and the degenerate case corresponding to the Maxwell model are analyzed in some detail.     

Natural convection flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in a rectangular porous cavity heated from below with cold sidewalls

We consider the flow, which is induced by differential heating on the boundaries of a porous cavity heated from below. In particular we allow the sidewalls to have the same cold temperature as the upper surface, and thus the problem is a variant of the Darcy-Bénard convection problem, but one where there is flow at all non-zero Grashof numbers. Attention is focused on how the flow and heat transfer is affected by variations in the cavity aspect ratio, the Grashof number and the Darcy number. The flow becomes weaker as the Darcy number decreases from the pure fluid limit towards the Darcy-flow limit. In addition the number of cells which form in the cavity varies primarily with the aspect ratio and is always even due to the symmetry imposed by the cold sidewalls.     

侧加热腔内的自然对流

开展侧加热腔内自然对流的研究具有重大的环境及工业应用背景. 总结侧加热腔内水平温差驱动的自然对流的最新研究进展, 并概述相应的流动性质、动力机制和传热特性以及对不同无量纲控制参数的依赖也有重要的科学价值. 已取得的研究结果显示突然侧加热的腔内自然对流的发展可包括初始阶段、过渡阶段和定常或准定常阶段. 不同发展阶段的流动依赖于瑞利数、普朗特数及腔体的高宽比, 且定常或准定常阶段的流态可以是定常层流流动、非定常周期性流动或者湍流流动. 此外, 回顾了对流流动失稳机制的研究成果以及湍流自然对流方面的新进展. 最后, 展望了侧加热腔内的自然对流研究的前景.      

The onset of natural convection in a horizontal air layer heated from below

In this work, the beginning of the instability (onset of convection) of an air layer of infinite width and depth heated from underneath with a constant heat flux is studied. In the theoretical part, the instability is studied using the quasi-static assumption. The functional relationship of Rayleigh number vs. horizontal wave number of the disturbance is obtained in a digital computer using Green's Fonctions for the case of Prandtl number equal to one. Furthermore in order to make a comparison with similar investigations, limiting cases of infinite and very small Prandtl numbers are also taken into consideration.-In the experimental part, Rayleigh numbers corresponding to the onset of manifest convection based on visual observations are investigated by optical methods under various heat fluxes. The average value measured is found to be 145.     

Numerical simulation of natural convection of latent heat phase-change-material microcapsulate slurry packed in a horizontal rectangular enclosure heated from below and cooled from above

A two-dimensional numerical simulation of natural convection in a rectangular enclosure heated from below and cooled from above has been conducted with non-Newtonian phase-change-material (PCM) microcapsulate slurry with latent heat capacities. The formulation of the mathematical model in dimensionless co-ordinates and discretization of the governing equations have been done using the finite volume method. Both natural convection and heat transfer characteristics are discussed about natural convection with PCM microcapsulate slurry, which exhibits the pseudoplastic non-Newtonian fluid behavior and a peak value in the specific heat capacity with latent heat. The viscosity of the present PCM microcapsulate slurry is assumed to follow the Ostwald-de Waele power law fluid model with the power-law index n and the consistency coefficient K. The effects of phase-change material, the mass concentration, and the aspect ratio Ar on the natural convection heat transfer are described, respectively. By comparing with the results of microcapsule slurry without phase change, the enhancement in heat transfer is found in microcapsule slurry with phase change during the phase change temperature range. Numerical simulations are performed in the following parametric ranges: the width–height aspect ratio of the enclosure Ar from 2 to 20, the mass concentrations C _m of the slurry from 10 to 40%, power law index n of the slurry from 0.89 to 1.0 and Rayleigh numbers Ra ranges from 10³ to 10⁷.     

Natural convection flow under a magnetic field in an inclined square enclosure differentialy heated on adjacent walls

Steady, laminar, natural-convection flow in the presence of a magnetic field in an inclined square enclosure differentially heated along the bottom and left vertical walls while the other walls are kept isothermal was considered. The governing equations were solved numerically for the stream function, vorticity and temperature ratio using the differential quadrature method for various Grashof and Hartmann numbers, inclination angle of the enclosure and direction of the magnetic field. The orientation of the enclosure changes the temperature gradient inside and has a significant effect on the flow pattern. Magnetic field suppresses the convective flow and its direction also influences the flow pattern, causing the appearance of inner loops and multiple eddies. The surface heat flux along the bottom wall is slightly increased by clockwise inclination and reduced by half by the counterclockwise inclination. The surface heat flux along the upper portion of the left side wall is reversed by the rise of warmer fluids due to the convection currents for no inclination and clockwise inclination of the enclosure.     

Thermal convection of a viscoelastic fluid in an open-top porous layer heated from below

Buoyancy-driven convection of a viscoelastic fluid saturated in an open-top porous square box is studied based on a modified Darcy's law. The results are compared with those for a Newtonian fluid under the same boundary conditions and those for the viscoelastic fluid under a closed-top boundary. In particular, the critical Darcy–Rayleigh number Ra for onset of convection is determined first by using the linear stability theory. Then the effects of the relaxation time and the retardation time of the viscoelastic fluid on the heat transfer rate and the flow pattern are investigated numerically. The results reveal some interesting properties of thermal convection for the viscoelastic fluid. The relaxation time makes the fluid easier to destabilize while the retardation time tends to stabilize the fluid motion in the porous medium, and larger heat transfer rate can be achieved with larger value of the relaxation time and decreased retardation time. Furthermore, larger relaxation time facilitates earlier bifurcation of the flow pattern as Ra increases, but bifurcation can be postponed with increased retardation time. For larger ratio of relaxation time over retardation time, the flow pattern is more complicated and the frequency of flow oscillation also increases. Finally, large ratio of relaxation time over retardation time can make the open-top boundary impermeable due to the viscoelastic effect on the fluid.     

Laminar natural convection in a fully partitioned enclosure containing fluid with nonlinear thermophysical properties

The effects of a heat conducting partition on the laminar natural convection heat transfer and fluid flow were obtained by comparing the numerical and experimental results for a cubic enclosure without and with a partition. The two opposite vertical walls of the enclosure were isothermal at different temperatures. The working fluid was glycerol. The complete vertical partition, made of Plexiglass, was positioned in the middle of the enclosure. The visualizations of the velocity and temperature fields were obtained by using respectively, Plexiglass and liquid crystal particles as tracers. A middle plane perpendicular to the partition was numerically modeled. The steady two-dimensional model accounted for the variable thermophysical properties of the fluid. The finite volume method based on the finite difference approach was applied. The convective terms were approximated using a deferred correction central difference scheme. The velocity and temperature fields and the distribution of the local and average Nusselt numbers were found as a function of the Rayleigh (38 000 <Ra <369 000) and Prandtl (2700 < Pr < 7000) numbers.     

Transient natural convection in a rectangular enclosure with one heated side wall

This paper describes a numerical and theoretical study of the transient natural convection heating of a two-dimensional rectangular enclosure filled with fluid. The heating is applied suddenly along one of the side walls, while the remaining three walls are maintained insulated. It is shown that the process has two distinct phases, an early period dominated by conduction and a late period dominated by convection. The scaling laws for the heat transfer rate and the effectiveness (energy storage fraction) are determined based on scale analysis. These theoretical results are confirmed by numerical experiments conducted in the domain Ra = 10³−10⁶, Pr = 7, A = 1, where Ra is the Rayleigh number based on height and initial temperature difference, Pr is the Prandtl number, and A is the height/length ratio of the enclosure. Correlations for heat transfer rate and effectiveness are constructed by comparing the theoretical scaling laws with the numerical results.     

Nonlinear regimes of convection of an elasticoviscous fluid in a closed cavity heated from below

The two-dimensional thermal convection of a elasticoviscous fluid in a horizontal cylinder with a square cross-section heated from below is investigated. For describing the rheological properties of the fluid the Oldroyd model with the upper convective derivative is used. The investigation is carried out numerically using the finite-difference method. The instability limits of mechanical equilibrium with respect to monotonic and oscillatory perturbations are determined. Supercritical convection regimes are investigated numerically. Perm. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 5–11, July–August, 2000. This work was carried out with financial support from the Program of State Financial Support for Leading Science Schools (grant No. 96-15-96084).     

Effect of thermal radiation exchange between boundaries on convection in a gas heated from below

Natural convection problems offer many examples of branching of the solutions [1]. Usually, such branching (from the standpoint of catastrophe theory) can be described by a Whitney fold or cusp. A characteristic feature of nontrivial branching is the presence of some small but finite disturbance of the convective equilibrium conditions. In this study the perturbation disturbing the convective equilibrium of a fluid heated from below is Stefan-law thermal radiation exchange between the boundaries of the enclosure. Natural convection with lateral heating and allowance for radiative heat transfer was previously investigated in [2].Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.5, pp. 47–51, September–October, 1992.