Natural convection in an inclined enclosure with a fluid layer and a heat-generating porous bed

Multiple steady-state solutions of natural convection in an inclined enclosure with a fluid layer and a heat-generating porous bed is investigated numerically by the finite volume method. The conservation equations for the porous layer are based on a general flow model which includes both the effects of flow inertia and friction. The flow in fluid layer is modeled by Navier–Stokes equations. The method of pseudo arc-length continuation is adapted in studying the effects of tilt angle on flow pattern and heat transfer. It is found that, in the whole domain of tilt angle, there exist two groups of solutions with quite different flow pattern and heat transfer behavior. The effects of aspect ratio on flow pattern and heat transfer have also been studied. Received on 04 March 1997     

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     

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 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.     

Influence of wall conduction on natural convection in an inclined square enclosure

A numerical study has been made of natural convection in an externally heated inclined enclosure with finitely conducting side walls. Results indicate that conduction along the enclosure walls has a stabilizing influence onthe convective motion in the enclosure and is therefore responsible for reduced heat transfer from the enclosure. The average Nusselt number along the hot and cold surfaces is observed to decrease with decreasing conductivity ratio and increasing wall thickness. The heat flux along the side walls is observed to reverse its direction and therefore, the Nusselt number along the side wall interfaces can be either positive or negative.

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Einfluß der Wärmeleitung in der Wand auf die freie Konvektion in einem geneigten quadratischen Raum

Zusammenfassung Es wurde eine numerische Studie der freien Konvektion in einem von außen beheizten geneigten Raum mit endlicher Wärmeleitung in den Seitenwänden durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die Leitung längs der Raumwände einen stabilisierenden Einfluß auf die Konvektionsbewegung in dem Raum hat und deshalb für die Verringerung des Wärmeübergangs aus dem Raum verantwortlich ist. Es wurde beobachtet, daß die mittlere Nusselt-Zahl längs der warmen und kalten Oberflächen mit abnehmendem Wärmeleitverhältnis und zunehmender Wandstärke geringer wird. Es wurde auch beobachtet, daß der Wärmestrom längs der Seitenwände seine Richtung umkehrt und deshalb die Nusselt-Zahl an den Oberflächen längs der Seitenwand entweder positiv oder negativ sein kann.

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Nomenclature g gravitational acceleration - H inside height of the enclosure - k thermal conductivity of fluid - k _w thermal conductivity of enclosure walls - k _r k _w/k/Pr - L inside width of the enclosure - n coordinate direction normal to an interface - Nu Nusselt number - Nusselt number along the cold wall interface and its average value - Nusselt number along the hot wall interface and its average value - Nusselt number along the left wall interface and its average value - Nusselt number along the right wall interface and its average value - p, p*, P thermodynamic, modified and dimensionless pressures - Pr Prandtl number - Ra Rayleigh number,Ra=g (T _h – T _c ) L ³ / - T temperature - T _h ,T _c temperature of the hot and cold surfaces - T ₀ T _h + T _c )/2 - u, U dimensional and dimensionless velocity in thex-direction - U dimensionless vector velocity,i U+jV - , V dimensional and dimensionless velocity in they-direction - x,y dimensional coordinates,x along the heated and cooled walls andy along adiabatic walls - X,Y dimensionless coordinates,X=x/L, Y=y/L Greek symbols thermal diffusivity,k/( c _p ) - thermal expansion coefficient - diffusion coefficient for a general dependent variable - dimensionless fluid thermal conductivity - _s dimensionless solid thermal conductivity - kinematic viscosity - density - ₀ reference density (atT ₀) - general dependent variable - dimensionless temperature in fluid - _s dimensionless temperature in solid - angle of inclination     

Ice-water convection in an inclined rectangular cavity filled with a porous medium

This paper reports on the results of a numerical study on the equilibrium state of the convection of water in the presence of ice in an inclined rectangular cavity filled with a porous medium. One side of the cavity is maintained at a temperature higher than the fusion temperature while the opposite side is cooled to a temperature lower than the fusion temperature. The two remaining sides are insulated. Results are analysed in terms of the density inversion parameter, the tilt angle, and the cooling temperature. It appears that the phenomenon of density inversion plays an important role in the equilibrium of an ice-water system when the heating temperature is below 20°. In a vertical cavity, the density inversion causes the formation of two counterrotating vortices leading to a water volume which is wider at the bottom than at the top. When the cavity is inclined, there exist two branches of solutions which exhibit the bottom heating and the side heating characteristics, respectively (the Bénard and side heating branches). Due to the inversion of density, the solution on the Bénard branch may fail to converge to a steady state at small tilt angles and exhibits an oscillating behavior. On the side heating branch, a maximum heat transfer rate is obtained at a tilt angle of about 70° but the water volume was found to depend very weakly on the inclination of the cavity. Under the effect of subcooling, the interplay between conduction in the solid phase and convection in the liquid leads to an equilibrium ice-water interface which is most distorted at some intermediate cooling temperature.     

Natural convection in a square enclosure with an internal isolated vertical plate

Numerical computations were performed for the average Nusselt number at an internal vertical plate situated in a square enclosure, with the inner plate and the bounding wall of the enclosure maintained at uniform but different temperatures. Natural convection occurred in the air which occupied the enclosure space. The position of the inner vertical plate within the enclosure was varied parametrically. The plate height-cavity height ratio was 0.513. For narrow distance between the inner plate and the bounding wall the inner plate Nusselt number was enhanced. Aside from this, the plate average Nusselt number was remarkably insensitive to the plate position. The effect of the Rayleigh number on the velocity and temperature fields and local Nusselt numbers are also discussed. The agreement between the predicted flow pattern forRa=1.1×10⁶ and the flow visualization result was reasonably good.

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Natürliche Konvektion in einem quadratischen Horizontalschacht, der eine freistehende, senkrechte Platte enthält

Zusammenfassung Eine numerische Untersuchung liefert mittlere Nußelt-Zahlen an einer, in einem quadratischen Horizontalschacht freistehenden, senkrechten Platte, wobei deren Temperatur und die der umgebenden Wände jeweils konstant gehalten werden. Im Luftraum dazwischen stellte sich freie Konvektion ein. Die Position der Platte war veränderlich, ihre Höhe blieb mit 51.3% der Schachthöhe konstant. Rückte die Platte nahe an eine Schachtwand, so erhöhte sich die Nußelt-Zahl auf der dieser zugewandten Seite, während die Gesamt-Nußelt-Zahl bezüglich der Platte fast konstant bleibt. Es wird auch der Einfluß der Rayleigh-Zahl auf das Geschwindigkeitsund Temperaturfeld diskutiert. BeiRa=1.1·10⁶ stimmten die Ergebnisse aus der Berechnung gut mit den experimentellen Befunden einer Strömungsvisualisation überein.

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Nomenclature a distance between vertical plate and side-wall of enclosure thermal diffusivity (in definition ofu _r) - b distance between vertical plate and bottom of enclosure - g gravitational acceleration - G characteristic flow rate - H height of vertical plate - k thermal conductivity - k _f fluid thermal conductivity - K relative thermal conductivity,k/k _f - L width of square enclosure - M _res mass residual - Nu local Nusselt number - Nu _m average Nusselt number - Nu _L local Nusselt number of left side of vertical plate - Nu _R local Nusselt number of right side of vertical plate - Nu _B local Nusselt number of bottom side of vertical plate - Nu _T local Nusselt number of top side of vertical plate - p effective pressure - P dimensionless pressure,P=p/[(Ra Pr)(a/H)²] - Pr Prandtl number - Ra Rayleigh number,Ra=gTH ³ Pr/ ² - T temperature - T _i temperature of internal plate - T _o temperature of enclosure surface - u, v velocity components inx-, y-direction - U, V dimensionless velocities,U=u/u _r, V=v/u_r - u _r reference velocity,u _r=(Ra Pr)^1/2/(a/H) - X, {iyY} dimensionless coordinates,X=x/H, Y=y/H Greek symbols heat transfer coefficient - volume expansion coefficient - thickness of plate - kinematic viscosity - density - dimensionless temperature, (T _i–T)/(T _i–T_o)     

Transient heat flux measurement of natural convection in an inclined enclosure with time-periodically-varying wall temperature

The transient natural convection in an inclined enclosure filled with water is studied experimentally for the time-periodically-varying wall temperature on one side wall and constant average temperature on the opposing side wall. This system has no temperature difference between the opposing two side walls in time-averaged sense. The temperatures of two opposing walls and the heat flux across the enclosure are measured by a heat flux meter. Based on the experimental results, the effects of time-periodically-varying wall temperature and inclined angles of the enclosure on heat transfer characteristics are studied. The experimental results show that, with the upper wall temperature oscillating, the heat flux across the enclosure is also periodically varied with time, and the net heat flux is from the lower wall to the upper wall. Numerical computations are also conducted and numerical results are qualitatively assured by the experimental measurements.     

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.     

Double-diffusive convection in an inclined porous layer with a concentration-based internal heat source

The thermosolutal instability of double-diffusive convection in an inclined fluid-saturated porous layer with a concentration-based internal heat source is investigated. The linear instability of small-amplitude perturbations to the system is analyzed with respect to transverse and longitudinal rolls. The resultant eigenvalue problem is solved numerically utilizing the Chebyshev tau method. It is shown that an increasing inclination angle causes a strong stabilization in the transverse rolls irrespective of the internal heat source or vertical solutal Rayleigh number. Furthermore, substantial qualitative changes are demonstrated in the linear instability thresholds with variations in the inclination angle and concentration-based heat source.     

Mixed convection with viscous dissipation in an inclined porous channel with isoflux impermeable walls

Combined forced and free convection flow in a fluid saturated inclined plane channel is investigated by taking into account the effect of viscous dissipation. Steady parallel flow is considered assuming that the temperature gradient in the parallel flow direction is constant, and the channel walls are subject to uniform symmetric heat fluxes. Two possible formulations of the Darcy–Boussinesq scheme are considered, based on two different choices of the reference temperature for modelling buoyancy. The first choice is a constant temperature, while the second is a streamwise changing temperature. It is shown that both approaches substantially agree in the formulation of the balance equations for the range of values of the Darcy–Rayleigh number such that viscous dissipation is important. The boundary value problem is solved analytically for any tilt angle, revealing that it admits dual solutions for assigned values of the governing parameters. The rather important effect of viscous dissipation in the special case of adiabatic channel walls is outlined. E. Magyari is on leave from Institute of Building Technology, ETH—Zürich     

Free convection from an arbitrarily inclined plate in a porous medium

A mathematical model for the flow and heat transfer in the free convection from an arbitrary inclined isothermal flat plate embedded in a porous medium is presented, in which the Darcy–Boussinesq approximation is adopted to account for bouyancy force. A novel inclination parameter ξ is proposed such that all cases of the horizontal, inclined and vertical plates can be described by a single set of transformed boundary layer equations. Moreover, the similarity equations for the limiting cases of the horizontal and vertical plates are recovered from the transformed equations by setting ξ=0 and ξ=1, respectively. Detailed results for the skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number as well as for the dimensionless velocity and temperature profiles are presented for a wide range of the parameter ξ. A comparison with similarity solution shows excellent agreement.     

Analytical and numerical study of natural convection heat transfer in an inclined composite enclosure

Laminar natural convection heat transfer in inclined fluid layers divided by a partition with finite thickness and conductivity is studied analytically and numerically. The governing equations for the fluid layers are solved analytically in the limit of a thin layered system with constant flux boundary conditions. The study covers of the range of Ra from 10³ to 10⁷, from 0° to 180° and the thermal conductivity ratio of partition to fluid ratioK from 10^–2 to 10⁶. The Prandtl number was 0.72 (for air). Results are obtained in terms of an overall Nusselt number as a function of Rayleigh number, angle of inclination of the system, mid layer thickness, and mid layer thermal conductivity. The critical Rayleigh number for the onset of convection in a bottom-heated horizontal system is predicted. The results are compared with the numerical results obtained by solving the complete system of governing equations, using SIMPLER method, as well as with the limiting cases in the literature.     

Mixed convection flow in a lid-driven inclined square enclosure filled with a nanofluid

This work is focused on the numerical modeling of steady laminar mixed convection flow in a lid-driven inclined square enclosure filled with water–Al₂O₃ nanofluid. The left and right walls of the enclosure are kept insulated while the bottom and top walls are maintained at constant temperatures with the top surface being the hot wall and moving at a constant speed. The developed equations are given in terms of the stream function–vorticity formulation and are non-dimensionalized and then solved numerically subject to appropriate boundary conditions by a second-order accurate finite-volume method. Comparisons with previously published work are performed and found to be in good agreement. A parametric study is conducted and a set of graphical results is presented and discussed to illustrate the effects of the presence of nanoparticles and enclosure inclination angle on the flow and heat transfer characteristics. It is found that significant heat transfer enhancement can be obtained due to the presence of nanoparticles and that this is accentuated by inclination of the enclosure at moderate and large Richardson numbers.     

Free convection heat transfer from an isothermal wavy surface in a porous enclosure

The coupled streamfuction–temperature equations governing the Darcian flow and convection process in a fluid-saturated porous enclosure with an isothermal sinusoidal bottom sun face, has been numerically analyzed using a finite element method (FEM). No restrictions have been imposed on the geometrical non-linearity arising from the parameters like wave amplitude (a), number of waves per unit length (N), wave phase (Φ), aspect ratio (A) and also on the flow driving parameter Rayleigh number (Ra). The numerical simulations for varying values of Ra bring about interesting flow features, like the transformation of a unicellular flow to a multicellular flow. Both with increasing amplitude and increasing number of waves per unit length, owing to the shift in the separation and reattachment points, a row–column pattern of multicellular flow transforms to a simple row of multicellular flow. A cycle of n celluar and n+1 cellular flows, with the flow in adjacent cells in the opposite direction, periodically manifest with phase varying between 0 and 360°. The global heat transfer into the system has been found to decrease with increasing amplitude and increasing number of waves per unit length. Only marginal changes in the global heat flux are observed, either with increasing Ra or varying Φ. Effectively, sinusoidal bottom surface undulations of the isothermal wall of a porous enclosure reduces the heat transfer into the system. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Natural convection in inclined two dimensional rectangular cavities

Steady two-dimensional natural convection in fluid filled cavities is numerically investigated. The channel is heated from below and cooled from the top with insulated side walls and the inclination angle is varied. The field equations for a Newtonian Boussinesq fluid are solved numerically for three cavity height based Rayleigh numbers, Ra = 10⁴, 10⁵ and 10⁶, and several aspect ratios. The calculations are in excellent agreement with previously published benchmark results. The effect of the inclination of the cavity to the horizontal with the angle varying from 0° to 180° and the effect of the startup conditions on the flow pattern, temperature distribution and the heat transfer rates have been investigated. Flow admits different configurations at different angles as the angle of inclination is increased depending on the initial conditions. Regardless of the initial conditions Nusselt number Nu exhibits discontinuities triggered by gradual transition from multiple cell to a single cell configuration. The critical angle of inclination at which the discontinuity occurs is strongly influenced by the assumed startup field. The hysteresis effect previously reported is not always present when the calculations are reversed from 90° to 0°. A comprehensive study of the flow structure, the Nu variation with varying angle of inclination, the effect of the initial conditions and the hysteresis effect are presented.     

Natural convection in a partitioned enclosure heated from below

Cubic spline collection numerical method has been developed to determine two dimensional natural convection in a partitioned enclosure heated from below. The both sides of impermeable partition are considered to have continuity in heat flux and temperatures. The governing equations are solved with aid of the SADI procedure. Parametric studies of the effects of the partition and Rayleigh number on the fluid flow and temperature fields have been performed. Results show that the location of the partition and Rayleigh number have a significant influence on the flow and heat transfer characteristics.

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Freie Konvektion in einem von unten beheizten, unterteiltem Hohlraum

Zusammenfassung Eine numerische dreidimensionale SplineMethode zur Berechnung der zweidimensionalen Naturkonvektion in einem von unten beheizten, unterteiltem Hohlraum wird vorgestellt. Der Wärmestrom und die Temperatur auf beiden Seiten der undurchlässigen Trennwand werden als konstant betrachtet. Mit Hilfe der SADI-Prozedur werden die beschreibenden Gleichungen gelöst. Über den Einfluß der Unterteilung und der Rayleigh-Zahl auf die Strömung des Fluids und das Temperaturfeld wird eine Parameter-Studie durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die Anordnung der Unterteilung und die Rayleigh-Zahl einen entscheidenden Einfluß auf das Wärmeübertragungsverhalten haben.

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Nomenclature A aspect ratio=L/H - g gravitational acceleration - H enclosure height - H₁ distance between the top wall of enclosure and the partition - H₂ distance between the bottom wall of enclosure and the partition - k thermal conductivity of fluid - L enclosure length - m number of vertical grid lines - n number of horizontal grid lines - Nu Nusselt number - P pressure - Pr Prandtl number - Q heat transfer across enclosure - Ra Rayleigh number based onH - t time - T dimensional temperature - T _H temperature of warm horizontal wall - T _L temperature of cold horizontal wall - T ₀ average temperature=T(_H+T_L)/2 - T temperature difference between the hot and cold wall =T _H–T_L - u, U dimensional and dimensionless horizontal velocity - , V dimensional and dimensionless vertical velocity - x, X dimensional and dimensionless horizontal coordinate - y, Y dimensional and dimensionless vertical coordinate - fluid thermal diffusivity - coefficient of thermal expansion - viscosity - kinematic viscosity=/g9 - density - , dimensional and dimensionless stream function - dimensionless temperature - , dimensional and dimensionless vorticity - dimensionless time     

Unsteady natural convection in a liquid-saturated porous enclosure with local thermal non-equilibrium effect

Stability analysis of free convection in a liquid-saturated sparsely-packed porous medium with local-thermal-non-equilibrium (LTNE) effect is presented. For the vertical boundaries free–free, adiabatic and rigid–rigid, adiabatic are considered while for horizontal boundaries it is the stress-free, isothermal and rigid–rigid, isothermal boundary combinations we consider. From the linear theory, it is apparent that there is advanced onset of convection in a shallow enclosure followed by that in square and tall enclosures. Asymptotic analysis of the thermal Rayleigh number for small and large values of the inter-phase heat transfer coefficient is reported. Results of Darcy–Bénard convection (DBC) and Rayleigh–Bénard convection can be obtained as limiting cases of the study. LTNE effect is prominent in the case of Brinkman–Bénard convection compared to that in DBC. Using a multi-scale method and by performing a non-linear stability analysis the Ginzburg–Landau equation is derived from the five-mode Lorenz modal. Heat transport is estimated at the lower plate of the channel. The effect of the Brinkman number, the porous parameter and the inter-phase heat transfer coefficient is to favour delayed onset of convection and thereby enhanced heat transport while the porosity-modified ratio of thermal conductivities shows the opposite effect.