Natural convection heat transfer in enclosures with conducting multiple partitions and side walls

The flow and heat transfer in enclosures with conducting multiple partitions and side walls were numerically analyzed. Side walls were kept at isothermal conditions, while top and bottom walls were insulated. Employing control volume approach, a computer program based on SIMPLE algorithm was developed. Computations were carried out to investigate the effects of Rayleigh number, number of partitions and cavity aspect ratios on the heat transfer rate. The mean Nusselt numbers were calculated from computed temperature fields. It was observed that, the mean Nusselt number decreases with increasing partition number. It is inversely proportional to (1+N) for N≤4. For all partition numbers, the mean Nusselt number increases with increasing Rayleigh number. On the other hand, the cavity aspect ratio does not affect the mean Nusselt number to a considerable extent for considered aspect ratios in this study.     

Natural convection in a bottom-heated top-cooled cubic cavity with a baffle at the median height: experiment and model validation

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation on the natural convection flow and heat transfer in an enclosure with a single-hole baffle at the median height. The temperature in the fluid is quantified by means of temperature sensitive thermo-chromic liquid crystal (TLC) particles. The fluid flow velocity is measured non-intrusively with a full field particle tracking technique. The three-dimensional numerical model, developed and validated with experimental data, provides a computational tool for further investigation of mass and energy transport through the baffle openings in these types of enclosures. The experimentally visualized and numerically simulated flow structures show a pair of streams across the baffle-hole. The two chambers communicate through this pair of streams which carry the fluid exchange and heat transfer between the two chambers. At the baffle opening, the two streams are aligned in a diagonal direction across of the enclosure. The streams are accelerated and form jet-like flows that drive the whole circulation in the chambers. The jet-like flows leave the baffle opening, approach the vertical centerline of the cavity, and finally impinge on the top/bottom walls.     

Natural convection in an inclined quadrantal cavity heated and cooled on adjacent walls

Natural convective flow and heat transfer in an inclined quadrantal cavity is studied experimentally and numerically. The particle tracing method is used to visualize the fluid motion in the enclosure. Numerical solutions are obtained via a commercial CFD package, Fluent. The working fluid is distilled water. The effects of the inclination angle, ? and the Rayleigh number, Ra on fluid flow and heat transfer are investigated for the range of angle of inclination between 0° ? ? ? 360°, and Ra from 10⁵ to 10⁷. It is disclosed that heat transfer changes dramatically according to the inclination angle which affects convection currents inside, i.e. flow physics inside. A fairly good agreement is observed between the experimental and numerical results.     

Natural convection in a cavity with time-dependent flux boundary

Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the unsteady natural convection flow in a cavity subjected to a sidewall heat flux varying sinusoidally with time. With all walls non-slip and the upper and lower boundaries and the other sidewall adiabatic, the heating and cooling produces an alternating direction natural convection boundary layer that discharges hot fluid to the top and cold fluid to the bottom of the cavity, generating a time-varying thermal stratification in the cavity interior. Scaling analysis has been conducted for different flow regimes based on the forcing frequency, with the characteristic time scales being the forcing period and the boundary layer development time. The scaling relations are then verified using the simulations, with the results showing overall good agreement with the derived scaling relations.     

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.      

Buoyancy-driven convection of water near its density maximum with time periodic partially active vertical walls

The effect of density inversion on transient natural convection heat transfer of cold water in a square cavity with partially active vertical walls is studied numerically. The governing equations are solved by control volume method with power law scheme. In the hot location the temperature is varied sinusoidally and in the cold location uniform temperature is maintained. Nine different positions of the active zones are considered. Results are discussed for various values of the amplitude, period and different Grashof numbers and presented graphically in the form of isotherms, streamlines, mid-height velocity profile and average Nusselt number. It is found that density inversion of water affects natural convection flow and heat transfer. Heat transfer rate is enhanced upto 80% when the heating location is in the middle of the hot wall.     

Natural convection in an inclined rectangular porous cavity with uniform heat flux from the side

The problem of natural convection in an inclined rectangular porous layer enclosure is studied numerically. The enclosure is heated from one side and cooled from the other by a constant heat flux while the two other walls are insulated. The effect of aspect ratio, inclination angle and Rayleigh number on heat transfer is studied. It is found that the enclosure orientation has a considerable effect on the heat transfer. The negative orientation sharply inhibits the convection and consequently the heat transfer and a positive orientation maximizes the energy transfer. The maximum temperature within the porous medium can be considerably higher than that induced by pure conduction when the cavity is negatively oriented. The peak of the average Nusselt number depends on the Rayleigh number and the aspect ratio. The heat transfer between the two thermally active boundaries is sensitive to the effect of aspect ratio. For an enclosure at high or low aspect ratio, the convection is considerably decreased and the heat transfer depends mainly on conduction.     

Natural convection in a horizontal porous layer with anisotropic thermal diffusivity

The present paper is concerned with free convection in a horizontal porous layer with anisotropic thermal diffusivity. It is assumed that the diffusivity has rotational symmetry, with a symmetry axis making an arbitrary angle against the vertical. The critical Rayleigh number and wave number at marginal stability are calculated and the steady motion occurring at convection onset is examined. It is found that there are two different types of convection cells, depending on whether the longitudinal diffusivity is larger than the transverse diffusivity or not. In the former case, the convection cells are rectangular with vertical lateral walls. In the latter case, however, the lateral cell walls are tilted as well as curved.     

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 partially cooled tilted cavities

Two-dimensional numerical simulations of laminar natural convection in a partially cooled, differentially heated inclined cavities are performed. One of the cavity walls is entirely heated to a uniformly high temperature (heat source) while the opposite wall is partially cooled to a lower temperature (heat sink). The remaining walls are adiabatic. The tilt angle of the cavity is varied from 0° (heated from left) to −90° (heated from top). The fast false implicit transient scheme (FITS) algorithm, developed earlier by the same authors, is modified to solve the derived variables vorticity-streamfunction formulation. The effects of aspect ratio (AR), sink–source ratio and tilt angle on the average Nusselt number are examined through a parametric study; solutions are obtained for two Grashof numbers, 10⁵ and 10⁷. Flow patterns and isotherms are used to investigate the heat transfer and fluid flow mechanisms inside the cavity. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Natural convection in partially heated vertical channels

A numerical analysis has been performed on laminar natural convection of air in open vertical channels partially heated at uniform wall temperature (UWT) or at uniform heat flux (UHF). The governing equations have been solved by means of a finite difference technique. Results showing axial velocity and temperature developments as well as heat transfer performances and correlations between non-dimensional groups, are presented.

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Natürliche Konvektion in teilweise erwärmten vertikalen Kanälen

Zusammenfassung Eine numerische Analyse wurde über die natürliche Luftkonvektion in vertikalen, mit gleichmäßiger Wandtemperatur (UWT) oder mit gleichmäßigem Wärmestrom (UHF) teilweise erwärmten Kanälen durchgeführt. Die analytischen Gleichungen des Problems wurden mit der Finit-Differenzen-Technik gelöst, und es werden Ergebnisse hinsichtlich der Geschwindigkeits- und Temperaturverteilungen im Inneren des Kanals sowie der thermischen Leistung des Systems aufgeführt.

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Nomenclature a thermal diffusivity of the fluid - c _p specific heat (at constant pressure) of the fluid - g acceleration due to gravity - Gr =[·g·S ³ ·(T₁-T₀)]/v²,Grashof number (UWT case) - Gr =[-g-S ⁴ -q ₁]/(v ²·k), Grashof number (UHF case) - Gr ^* =(S/H) Gr, modified Grashof number - H overall channel height - I, J X andY coordinate indexes - k thermal conductivity of the fluid - Nu mean Nusselt number of the channel - p difference between pressure inside the channel and pressureoutside, at the same heightx - P dimensionless difference pressure - Pr Prandtl number - q specific heat flux - q ₁ specific heat flux from heated plates (UHF case) - Q heat flux (per unit length in thez-direction) from walls - S channel width - T temperature - T _w reference wall temperature - T _o fluid temperature at the inlet section - T ₁ heated plates temperature (UWT case) - u, axial and transverse velocity of the fluid - u _o axial velocity of the fluid at the inlet section - U, V dimensionless axial and transverse velocity - U _o dimensionless axial velocity at the inlet section - x, y axial and transverse coordinate - X, Y dimensionless axial and transverse coordinate - X =H/(S·Gr), dimensionless overall channel height - thermal expansion coefficient of the fluid - dimensionless temperature - v kinematic viscosity of the fluid - density of the fluid     

Experiments on convection from a horizontal plate with and without background rotation

Laboratory experiments are described on convection driven by a finite-sized circular heating plate in the bottom of a horizontal fluid layer, both with and without background rotation. For the non-rotating case the various observations are arranged in a regime diagram, in which the different flow types are presented as a function of the governing parameters, being the Rayleigh number and the ratio of plate size and fluid depth. For the case = O(1) it is found that the finiteness of the heating disk has a significant effect on the convective flow structure, in the sense that an inflow is established which tends to stabilize the convection above the plate. The flow pattern changes drastically in the presence of background rotation, the effect of which is characterized by the Rossby number Ro. In the geostrophic limit (Ro « 1) one observes the flow to be organized in an array of axially-aligned vortices, as found in earlier studies. In the Ro = O(1) regime, however, the horizontal inflow along the bottom causes an intense vortex to arise above the heating disk. This vortex appears to be unstable, and it was seen to continuously change from a spiral mode to a toroidal mode and vice versa.     

Natural convection of non-Newtonian fluids in a horizontal porous layer

Heat and Mass Transfer - The buoyancy-induced flows of non-Newtonian fluids in a horizontal fluid saturated porous layer is studied analytically and numerically using the power-law model to...     

Natural convection heat transfer in a uniformly heated horizontal pipe

Natural convection heat transfers inside horizontal pipes were measured. The Rayleigh numbers were varied from 6.8 × 10⁸ to 1.5 × 10¹², while the Prandtl number was fixed at 2,094. Based on the analogy concept, a copper sulfate electroplating system was adopted to measure mass transfer rates in place of heat transfer rates. Test results using single-piece electrodes were in good agreement with the work of Sarac and Korkut. The angle-dependent mass transfer rates, measured using piecewise electrodes, were compared with the results of studies on natural convection in concentric annuli, and showed similar trends. The experiments were expanded to the turbulent region, and a transition criterion was proposed. Angle-dependent natural convection heat transfer correlations for the laminar and turbulent regions were derived.     

Natural convection heat transfer from a horizontal ice cylinder

Heat transfer characteristics passing through the maximum density point around a horizontal ice cylinder immersed in water was studied both theoretically and experimentally. For the sake of a precise comparison, the stagnation point Nusselt number was measured and results then compared with those of the numerical computations that were obtained by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations. A fairly good agreement was seen between the theory and the experiment.At about 6°C of water temperature where the stagnation Nusselt number takes its minimum value, the instability of the flow was observed. It was found that two different computer solutions exist, which shows unstable aspects corresponding to the experimental result.     

Natural convection in a rectangular cavity. An analytic solution

Summary An analytic solution is given to a problem of natural convection in a rectangular cavity, by means of a Papkovich-Fadle series. The convergence of the method is numerically proven and the results are compared with those obtained by several other methods. The considered solution procedure shows definite advantages with respect to the other techniques.

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Sommario Si fornisce, per mezzo della serie di Papkovich-Fadle, una soluzione analitica per un problema di convezione naturale in una cavità rettangolare. La convergenza del metodo è numericamente provata e i risultati sono confrontati con quelli ottenuti con altri metodi. La soluzione proposta tramite la serie è in tal caso vantaggiosa rispetto alle altre tecniche.

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This work has been partially supported by C.N.R. through grant n. 81.01501.11.     

Natural convection in a square cavity: A comparison exercise

A number of contributed solutions to the problem of laminar natural convection in a square cavity have been compared with what is regarded as a solution of high accuracy. The purposes of this exercise have been to confirm the accuracy of the bench mark solution and to provide a basis for the assessment of the various methods and computer codes used to obtain the contributed solutions.