An experimental study of transient free-convection heat transfer with mercury in a vertical rectangular channel

An experimental study is presented of the transient and steady-state natural convection heat transfer in mercury following a step change in uniform heat flux of the vertical rectangular channel wall. The fluid was initially stagnant and at a uniform temperature. Temperature distributions were measured during the transient and at steady-state conditions. Heat transfer characteristics of the system were determined from these measurements.     

Thermographic validation of a novel,laminate body,analytical heat conduction model

The two-region fin model captures the heat spreading behaviour in multilayered composite bodies (i.e., laminates), heated only over a small part of their domains (finite heat source), where there is an inner layer that has a substantial capacity for heat conduction parallel to the heat exchange surface (convection cooling). This resulting heat conduction behaviour improves the overall heat transfer process when compared to heat conduction in homogeneous bodies. Long-term heat storage using supercooling salt hydrate phase change materials, stovetop cookware, and electronics cooling applications could all benefit from this kind of heat-spreading in laminates. Experiments using laminate films reclaimed from post-consumer Tetra Brik cartons were conducted with thin rectangular and circular heaters to confirm the laminate body, steady-state, heat conduction behaviour predicted by the two-region fin model. Medium to high accuracy experimental validation of the two-region fin model was achieved in Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates for forced external convection and natural convection, the latter for Cartesian only. These were conducted using constant heat flux finite heat source temperature profiles that were measured by infrared thermography. This validation is also deemed valid for constant temperature heat sources.     

Convection in a Horizontal Fluid Layer with a Uniform Internal Heat Source

On the basis of a numerical simulation of convection in a horizontal fluid layer with a uniform heat source it is concluded that the convective heat flux is constant over the entire convection layer not only in the case of steady-state external conditions but also in the case of heating (cooling) of the fluid layer at a constant rate. The convective heat flux is mainly determined by the Rayleigh number and depends only slightly on the layer heating (cooling) rate.     

Numerical analysis of transient laminar forced convection of nanofluids in circular ducts

In this study, forced convection heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids are investigated by numerical analysis of incompressible transient laminar flow in a circular duct under step change in wall temperature and wall heat flux. The thermal responses of the system are obtained by solving energy equation under both transient and steady-state conditions for hydro-dynamically fully-developed flow. In the analyses, temperature dependent thermo-physical properties are also considered. In the numerical analysis, Al₂O₃/water nanofluid is assumed as a homogenous single-phase fluid. For the effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids, Hamilton–Crosser model is used together with a model for Brownian motion in the analysis which takes the effects of temperature and the particle diameter into account. Temperature distributions across the tube for a step jump of wall temperature and also wall heat flux are obtained for various times during the transient calculations at a given location for a constant value of Peclet number and a particle diameter. Variations of thermal conductivity in turn, heat transfer enhancement is obtained at various times as a function of nanoparticle volume fractions, at a given nanoparticle diameter and Peclet number. The results are given under transient and steady-state conditions; steady-state conditions are obtained at larger times and enhancements are found by comparison to the base fluid heat transfer coefficient under the same conditions.     

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.     

Numerical and experimental study of heat transfer in a tall vertical closed cavity

In this work the numerical and experimental results of heat transfer in a vertical tall closed cavity are presented. The cavity has an aspect ratio of 20, one of the vertical walls receive a constant and uniform heat flux, while the opposite wall is kept at a constant temperature. The remaining walls are assumed adiabatic. The cavity is full of air. The computational fluid dynamics software Fluent 6.3 was used for the simulation and an experimental prototype was built to obtain the heat transfer coefficients. The air temperature and the fluid velocity values are higher when emissivity (ε) is 0.03 (almost pure natural convection). The experimental total heat transfer coefficient increases between 119.9 and 159.9 % when the emissivity of the walls changes from 0.03 to 0.95.     

Heat transfer in a radiating fluid with slug flow in a parallel-plate channel

Summary As a step towards a better understanding of combined conduction, convection, and radiation, fully developed heat transfer in slug flow in a flat duct between two parallel plates is considered. The flat duct consists of two diffuse, nonblack, isothermal surfaces. The gray radiating fluid between them is capable of emitting and absorbing thermal radiation. The problem is formulated in terms of a nonlinear integrodifferential equation, and the solution is obtained by an approximate method. The differences between heating and cooling the fluid are examined. The effects of the optical thickness of the fluid, the ratio which determines the relative role of energy transport by conduction to that by radiation, and the emissivity of the duct surfaces on the temperature distribution and the heat transfer characteristics are investigated. An approximate method for calculating the radiant heat flux at the wall is presented, and the accuracy of the approximation is tested.Work done under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.     

Fully Developed Forced Convection Heat Transfer in a Porous Channel with Asymmetric Heat Flux Boundary Conditions

An analytical study is performed on steady, laminar, and fully developed forced convection heat transfer in a parallel plate channel with asymmetric uniform heat flux boundary conditions. The channel is filled with a saturated porous medium, and the lower and upper walls are subjected to different uniform heat fluxes. The dimensionless form of the Darcy–Brinkman momentum equation is solved to determine the dimensionless velocity profile, while the dimensionless energy equation is solved to obtain temperature profile for a hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed flow in the channel. Nusselt numbers for the lower and upper walls and an overall Nusselt number are defined. Analytical expressions for determination of the Nusselt numbers and critical heat flux ratio, at which singularities are observed for individual Nusselt numbers, are obtained. Based on the values of critical heat flux ratio and Darcy number, a diagram is provided to determine the direction of heat transfer between the lower or upper walls while the fluid is flowing in the channel.     

Conjugate forced convection and heat conduction in circular microchannels

The effects of axial heat conduction in the solid walls of microchannels of circular cross-sections are analyzed here. A systematic approach is adopted, with the aim of pointing out the influence of geometrical parameters and of solid wall thermal conductivity on microchannel heat transfer. The reliability of a commonly adopted criterium, based on the so-called axial conduction number, to assess the relevance of axial heat conduction is also discussed. Numerical simulations concern the simultaneously developing laminar flow of a constant property fluid in microchannels of different length, wall thickness and wall material, heated with a uniform heat flux at the outer surface, for different values of the Reynolds number. Moreover, since often in experimental tests the two end sections of the microchannel wall are not perfectly insulated, the effects of heat losses through these sections are also considered. A hybrid finite element procedure, which implies the step-by-step solution of the parabolized momentum equations in the fluid domain, followed by the solution of the energy equation in the entire domain, corresponding to both the solid and the fluid parts, is used for the numerical simulations.     

Experimental investigation of mixed convection heat transfer in a horizontal and inclined rectangular channel

 Mixed convection heat transfer in rectangular channels has been investigated experimentally under various operating conditions. The lower surface of the channel is subjected to a uniform heat flux, sidewalls are insulated and adiabatic, and the upper surface is exposed to the surrounding fluid. Experiments were conducted for Pr=0.7, aspect ratios AR=5 and 10, inclination angles 0° ≤ θ ≤ 30°, Reynolds numbers 50 ≤ Re ≤ 1000, and modified Grashof numbers Gr*=7.0 × 10⁵ to 4.0 × 10⁷. From the parametric study, local Nusselt number distributions were obtained and effects of channel inclination, surface heat flux and Reynolds number on the onset of instability were investigated. Results related to the buoyancy affected secondary flow and the onset of instability have been discussed. Some of the results obtained from the experimental measurements are also compared with the literature, and a good agreement was observed. The onset of instability was found to move upstream for increasing Grashof number and increasing aspect ratio. On the other hand, onset of instability was delayed for increasing Reynolds number and increasing inclination angle. Received on 19 March 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

On the second fundamental problem of combined free and forced convection through vertical noncircular ducts

Analysis of combined free and forced convection through vertical noncircular ducts is carried out using a variational technique. Fully developed flow with uniform axial heat input and uniform peripheral heat flux is assumed. All fluid properties are considered invariant with temperature except the variation of density in the buoyancy term of the equation of motion. The condition of uniform peripheral heat flux is utilized in deriving the variational expression. This procedure releases the thermal boundary condition from satisfying exactly the condition at the wall. A finite-difference procedure is carried out. For pure forced convection case, a particularly simple variational expression is presented. Nusselt numbers for combined free and forced convection are computed for rectangular, rhombic and elliptical ducts. An exact solution is presented for laminar forced convection through elliptic ducts. Variational results are in agreement with this exact solution. The present results are compared with those in the published literature wherever possible, and good agreement is obtained.     

Transient boundary-layer heat transfer from a flat plate subjected to a sudden change in heat flux

We examine the transient forced convection heat transfer from a fixed, semi-infinite, flat plate situated in a fluid which, at large distances, is moving with a constant velocity parallel to the plate. Both the fluid and the plate are initially at a constant temperature and the transients are initiated when the zero heat flux at the plate is suddenly changed to a constant value. The thermal boundary-layer equations are solved using numerical techniques to extend a series which is valid for small times and describe fully the development from the initial unsteady state solution (small times) to the ultimate steady state solution (large time).     

Combined radiation and natural convection in a rectangular cavity with a transparent wall and containing a non-participating fluid

This paper describes a numerical method for the study of combined natural convection and radiation in a rectangular, two-dimensional cavity containing a non-participating (i.e. transparent) fluid. One wall of the cavity is isothermal, being heated either by solar radiation or independently. The opposite wall is partially transparent, permitting radiation exchanges between the cavity and its surroundings and/or the Sun; that wall also exchanges heat by convection from its external surface to the surroundings. The other two walls are adiabatic: convection and radiation there are balanced, so that there is no heat transfer through those walls. The equations of motion and energy are solved by finite difference methods. Coupled to these equations are the radiative flux boundary conditions which are used to determine the temperature distribution along the non-isothermal walls. A two-band radiation model has been employed. Results are presented for a square cavity with a vertical hot wall at 150 °C, the ambient at 20 °C and 10⁴ ? Ra ? 3 × 10⁵, in the absence of direct insolation. The effects on the flow and heat transfer in the cavity of radiation and external convection have been examined. More extensive results will be presented in subsequent papers.     

Analytical Investigation of the Effect of Viscous Dissipation on Couette Flow in a Channel Partially Filled with a Porous Medium

An analytical study of viscous dissipation effect on the fully developed forced convection Couette flow through a parallel plate channel partially filled with porous medium is presented. A uniform heat flux is imposed at the moving plate while the fixed plate is insulated. In the fluid-only region the flow field is governed by Navier–Stokes equation while the Brinkman-extended Darcy law relationship is considered in the fully saturated porous medium. The interface conditions are formulated with an empirical constant β due to the stress jump boundary condition. Fluid properties are assumed to be constant and the longitudinal heat conduction is neglected. A closed-form solution for the velocity and temperature distributions and also the Nusselt number in the channel are obtained and the viscous dissipation effect on these profiles is briefly investigated.     

Free convection flow over an uniform-heat-flux surface with temperature-dependent viscosity

The role of temperature-dependent viscosity is studied in laminar free convection flow adjacent to a vertical surface with uniform heat flux. The resulting non-similar equations are solved by using a suitable variable transformation and employing an implicit finite difference method. It is shown that the constant viscosity results evaluated at the ambient fluid temperature underestimate the Nusselt number and overestimate the drag coefficient. The heat transfer predictions for large values of the viscosity parameter may be two times the constant viscosity parameter prediction. The present analysis is in good agreement with the corresponding correlation of previous experimental investigation.     

Conjugated turbulent heat transfer with axial conduction in wall and convection boundary conditions in a parallel-plate channel

The steady-state conjugated turbulent heat transfer with axial conduction in the wall and convection boundary conditions is solved with the generalized integral transform technique for the flow of Newtonian fluid in parallel-plate duct. A lumped wall model that neglects transverse temperature gradients in the solid but that takes into account the axial heat conduction along the wall is adopted. Highly accurate results are presented for the fluid bulk and wall temperatures and Nusselt number. The effects of the conjugation parameter, Biot number, and the dimensionless channel length on Nusselt number and fluid bulk and wall temperatures are systematically investigated.     

Free convection on a vertical plate with uniform and constant heat flux in a thermally stratified micropolar fluid

This paper analyzes flow and heat transfer characteristics of the free convection on a vertical plate with uniform and constant heat flux in a thermally stratified micropolar fluid. The dimensionless forms of boundary layer equations and their associated boundary conditions have been derived and the numerical results have been obtained using the method of cubic spline collocation with a finite difference scheme. The effects of the micropolar and stratification parameters on the dimensionless wall temperature, skin friction parameter and wall couple stress are discussed.     

Numerical analysis of natural convection around a vertical channel in a rectangular enclosure

Numerical computations were performed for the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of an internal vertical channel composed by a pair of parallel plates situated in a rectangular enclosure, with the inner plates 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 plates were symmetrically arranged. The dimensionless channel widthS was varied parametrically. The Rayleigh numbers ranged from 10² to 10⁷. Static bifurcation was found in this configuration. The bifurcation is related to the flow pattern transition from single-vortex structure to double-vortex structure or vice versa. Comparison with the empirical correlations obtained for a vertical plate and a channel in an infinite space showed that the heat transfer process of the plates and the channel was deteriorated by the existence of the enclosure.     

Experimental investigation of natural convection in a vertical rib-roughened channel with asymmetric heating

An experimental study in an open-ended vertical channel is carried out in order to describe the fluid dynamics and heat transfer of transient free convection inside a vertical rib-roughened channel asymmetrically heated at various uniform heat fluxes (650, 700, and 780 W/m²) corresponding to various modified Rayleigh numbers (3.65 × 10⁶, 3.93 × 10⁶ and 4.4 × 10⁶). Two ribs are symmetrically located on each wall. The investigations focused more specifically on the influence of the ribs positions inside the channel and the modified Rayleigh number (Ra^*) both in steady-state regime and during the transitional phase occurring just after the start of the heating on the flow structure and the heat transfer performance. The results showed the appearance of large-scale flow instabilities which will develop and propagate until the development of the pocket-like vortex (reversed flow). Also, the formation and breakup of recirculation eddies, vortex banishment, besides that a separation and shifting of the boundary layer from one wall to another are identified. The best position of the ribs for heat extraction depends on the magnitude of the Rayleigh number. In that case, the top position is the optimal position for the small and the moderate modified Rayleigh numbers.