Experimentelle Untersuchung des Wärmeüberganges durch freie Konvektion an waagerechten Rippenrohren in einem zylindrischen Behälter

Experimental measurements of heat transfer by free convection in a cylindrical waterfilled enclosure from a horizontal finned tube of small fin height is reported. The measured heat transfers are presented in form of correlation equationsNu=f(Ra). The Rayleigh numbers have been alternatively defined with the annulus height, core diameter and an equivalent diameter defined for the finned tube. The correlation equations have been formulated for heat transfer (i) in an infinite medium and (ii) in an annulus. Results show that for the experimental annulus gap/enclosure diameter ratio of 24.66 and 40.74, the heat transfer analysis based on infinite medium assumption shows a somewhat better correlation although the influence of the enclosure cannot be completely neglected. Defining the Rayleigh number with an equivalent diameter makes it possible to compare the experimental measurements with those from a smooth tube.     

Numerical computation of natural convection in an isosceles triangular cavity with a partially active base and filled with a Cu–water nanofluid

This paper discusses the results of a study related to natural convection cooling of a heat source located on the bottom wall of an inclined isosceles triangular enclosure filled with a Cu water-nanofluid. The right and left walls of the enclosure are both maintained cold at constant equal temperatures, while the remaining parts of the bottom wall are insulated. The study has been carried out for a Rayleigh number in the range 10⁴ ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁶, for a heat source length in the range 0.2 ≤ ε ≤0.8, for a solid volume fraction in the range 0 ≤ ?≤0.06 and for an inclination angle in the range 0° ≤ δ≤45°. Results are presented in the form of streamline contours, isotherms, maximum temperature at the heat source surface and average Nusselt number. It is noticed that the addition of Cu nanoparticles enhances the heat transfer rate and therefore cooling effectiveness for all values of Rayleigh number, especially at low values of Ra. The effect of the inclination angle becomes more noticeable as one increases the value of Ra. For high Rayleigh numbers, a critical value for the inclination angle of δ = 15° is found for which the heat source maximum temperature is highest.     

Natural convection flow of water near its density maximum in a rectangular enclosure having isothermal walls with heat generation

We consider unsteady laminar natural convection flow of water subject to density inversion in a rectangular cavity formed by isothermal vertical walls with internal heat generation. The top and bottom horizontal walls are considered to be adiabatic, whereas the temperature of the left vertical wall is assumed to be greater than that of the right vertical wall. The equations are non-dimensionalized and are solved numerically by an upwind finite difference method together with a successive over-relaxation (SOR) technique. The effects of both heat generation and variations in the aspect ratio on the streamlines, isotherms and the rate of heat transfer from the walls of the enclosure are presented. Investigations are performed for water taking Prandtl number to be Pr=11.58 and the Rayleigh number to be Ra=10⁵.     

Numerical analysis of buoyant flow in a hemispherical enclosure at high Rayleigh numbers

A numerical analysis is presented for buoyancy driven flow of a Newtonian fluid contained in a two dimensional (R, ) hemispherical enclosure for high Rayleigh (Ra) numbers. It is assumed that the flow is driven by the uniformly distributed internal heat sources within the enclosure. All walls of the cavity are maintained at a constant temperature. Finite volume based SIMPLER algorithm has been used for the present analysis. Discretised governing equations, in primitive variables, are solved by a combination of Three Diagonal Matrix Algorithm (TDMA) and Point Successive Overrelaxation (PSOR) method. A benchmark solution prepared for a Ra number range of 10⁷ to 10¹² and Prandtl (Pr) number 7.0, shows an excellent agreement with the experimental results obtained from the open literature.     

Turbulent natural convection in a square enclosure bounded by a solid wall with localized heating

Turbulent natural convection and conduction in a square enclosure bounded by a massive wall with a localized heating is numerically studied. The bounding solid wall has a relative thermal conductivity of 10 and a relative thickness of 0.1. Losses to the surroundings are specified using a Biot number of 500. Two-dimensional equations of conservation of mass, momentum and energy, with the Boussinesq approximation and using the κ-ε model for turbulence are solved using finite difference method. Grids are generated in a nonuniform manner so that steep gradients near the wall regions are accounted for as required. Numerical solution is obtained for Ra numbers ranging from 10⁶ to 10¹³. The position of the source is also investigated. It is found that the heat transfer by convection is the highest when the heat source is located at the upper part of the cavity. The turbulent properties show also the same conclusion. Received on 4 November 1998     

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.     

Effect of Conduction in Bottom Wall on Darcy–Bénard Convection in a Porous Enclosure

Conjugate natural convection-conduction heat transfer in a square porous enclosure with a finite-wall thickness is studied numerically in this article. The bottom wall is heated and the upper wall is cooled while the verticals walls are kept adiabatic. The Darcy model is used in the mathematical formulation for the porous layer and the COMSOL Multiphysics software is applied to solve the dimensionless governing equations. The governing parameters considered are the Rayleigh number (100 ≤ Ra ≤ 1000), the wall to porous thermal conductivity ratio (0.44 ≤ K _r ≤ 9.90) and the ratio of wall thickness to its height (0.02 ≤ D ≤ 0.4). The results are presented to show the effect of these parameters on the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics. It is found that the number of contrarotative cells and the strength circulation of each cell can be controlled by the thickness of the bottom wall, the thermal conductivity ratio and the Rayleigh number. It is also observed that increasing either the Rayleigh number or the thermal conductivity ratio or both, and decreasing the thickness of the bounded wall can increase the average Nusselt number for the porous enclosure.     

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.     

Unsteady natural convection in an enclosure with vertical wavy walls

In this paper, unsteady heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in an enclosure are investigated. The enclosure consists of two vertical wavy and two horizontal straight walls. The top and the bottom walls are considered adiabatic. Two wavy walls are kept isothermal and their boundaries are approximated by a cosine function. Governing equations including continuity, momentum and energy were discretized using the finite-volume method and solved by SIMPLE method in curvilinear coordinate. Simulation was carried out for a range of Grashof number Gr = 10³–10⁶, Prandtl number Pr = 0.5–4.0, wave ratio A (defined by amplitude/wavelength) 0.0–0.35 and aspect ratio W (defined by average width/wavelength) 0.5–1.0. Streamlines and isothermal lines are presented to corresponding flow and thermal fields. Local and average Nusselt number distributions are presented. The obtained results are in good agreement with available numerical and experimental data.     

Numerical analysis of free convective flows in partially open enclosure

 Laminar steady state buoyancy induced flows in a two-dimensional, air filled partial open enclosure with a discrete flush mounted iso-flux heat source on one of its walls is investigated numerically. The transport equations for energy and vorticity are solved with the aid of the ADI finite difference scheme on uniform mesh. Because of the specific application of the present study in the air cooling of electronic equipments, results are obtained only for a Prandtl number of 0.71 with an aspect ratio of 1.0 for a range of Rayleigh numbers, Ra (≤10⁵), heat flux parameter, Q and opening parameter, A ₀ using constant properties and Boussinesq approximation by imposing approximate conditions at the opening. Results of flow and temperature patterns, velocity and temperature profiles shows that the outgoing flow is governed by strong characteristics of the cavity condition whereas the incoming flow influenced by outside conditions. It is observed that Rayleigh number considerably affects the flow and thermal fields within the open enclosure when compared with intensity of heat flux and size of the opening. Received on 22 January 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Laminar natural convection in inclined enclosures bounded by a solid wall

Laminar natural convection has been studied in enclosures bounded by a solid wall with its outer boundary at constant temperature while the opposing side has a constant heat flux. Two-dimensional equations of conservation of mass, momentum and energy, with the Boussinesq approximation are solved using a finite difference method. The numerical procedure adopted is based on the SIMPLER algorithm. Various parameters were: Rayleigh number (from 10³ to 10⁶), dimensionless conductivity of bounding wall (from 1 to 10) and dimensionless wall width (from 0.15 to 0.5), aspect ratio (from 0.5 to 1) and the inclination angle (from 30^° to 180^°). The results are reduced in terms of the normalized Nusselt number as a function of the Rayleigh number, and other dimensionless parameters. The isotherms and streamlines are produced for various Rayleigh numbers and geometrical conditions. It is found that the heat transfer is an increasing function of the Rayleigh number, wall to fluid conductivity ratio, enclosure aspect ratio and a decreasing function of the wall thickness. It passes from a maximum for the inclination angle of about 80^°.     

Effects of surface radiation on natural convection in a rayleigh-benard square enclosure: steady and unsteady conditions

Coupled laminar natural convection with radiation in air-filled square enclosure heated from below and cooled from above is studied numerically for a wide variety of radiative boundary conditions at the sidewalls. A numerical model based on the finite difference method was used for the solution of mass, momentum and energy equations. The surface-to-surface method was used to calculate the radiative heat transfer. Simulations were performed for two values of the emissivities of the active and insulated walls (ɛ₁=0.05 or 0.85, ɛ₂=0.05 or 0.85) and Rayleigh numbers ranging from 10³ to 2.3×10⁶ . The influence of those parameters on the flow and temperature patterns and heat transfer rates are analyzed and discussed for different steady-state solutions. The existing ranges of these solutions are reported for the four different cases considered. It is founded that, for a fixed Ra, the global heat transfer across the enclosure depends only on the magnitude of the emissivity of the active walls. The oscillatory behavior, characterizing the unsteady-state solutions during the transitions from bicellular flows to the unicellular flow are observed and discussed.     

A new procedure for the prediction of forced convection heat transfer at near- and supercritical pressure

Based on heat transfer experiments with tubes of different inside geometry, correlations for forced convection heat transfer at near- and supercritical pressure are presented. They are of the Dittus-Boelter typeNu=CRe ^m Pr ⁿ and over the whole enthalpy range. The simple form is made possible by a new method of determining a representative specific heat capacity. At five reference temperatures heat capacities are computed with semi-empirical equations. The two highest values closest to the (pseudo-)critical state are then sorted out, because they are not relevant for turbulent flow. The average of the remaining three values represents a reasonable characteristic heat capacity. Comparisons to measurements show the very good accuracy of the new correlations. The procedure can be recommended whenever strong dependencies of fluid properties on temperature or even singularities occur.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Entropy generation in a square enclosure with partial heating from a vertical lateral wall

The entropy generation during the transient laminar natural convection in a square enclosure that is partially heated from a vertical lateral wall is numerically investigated. The active sites referring to the main irreversibility locations are determined. The Boussinesq approximation is used in the natural convection modelling. The effects of Prandtl (Pr) and Rayleigh (Ra) number combinations on the entropy generation are investigated. The study is restricted to the fluids of Prandtl number from 0.01 to 1.0, and Rayleigh numbers in the range of 10²–10⁸. It is found that the upper corner of the heated part of the side wall is the active site where the entropy generation initiates due to irreversibilities representing the energy loss.     

Numerical study of steady magneto-convection around an adiabatic body inside a square enclosure in low Prandtl numbers

In this paper, the effects of Prandtl number on the steady magneto-convection around a centrally located adiabatic body inside a square enclosure are numerically investigated. Two-dimensional nonlinear governing equations are discretized using the control volume method and hybrid scheme. The equations are solved using SIMPLER algorithm. The results are displayed in the form of streamlines and isotherms when the Rayleigh number varies between 10³ and 10⁶, the Hartmann number changes between 0 and 100 and the Prandtl number ranges between 0.005 and 0.1. The ratio of the buoyancy force to the Lorentz force (Ra/Ha ²) is introduced as an index to compare the contribution of natural convection and magnetic field strength on heat transfer. The results obtained from numerical modeling show that the Prandtl number has not considerable effect on heat transfer at low Rayleigh numbers. The effect of magnetic field strength on convection is increased by increasing Prandtl number. The effect of Prandtl number on the average Nusselt number in the presence of a magnetic field is less than the case without a magnetic field.     

Three-dimensional simulations of natural convection in a sidewall-heated cube

A high-resolution, finite difference numerical study is reported on three-dimensional natural convection of air in a differentially heated cubical enclosure over an extensive range of Rayleigh number from 10³ to 10¹⁰. The maximum number of grid points is 122 × 62 × 62. Solutions to the primitive variable formulation of the incompressible Navier-Stokes and energy equations are acquired by a control-volume-based procedure together with a higher-order upwind-differencing technique. The field characteristics at large-time limits are examined in detail by state-of-the-art numerical visualizations of the three-dimensional results. The emergence of the well-defined boundary layers and the interior core at high Rayleigh numbers is captured by elaborate numerical visualizations. Both the similarities and discrepancies between the three- and two-dimensional computations are pointed out. These emphasize the need for three-dimensional calculations to accurately determine the flow characteristics and heat transfer properties in realistic, high-Rayleigh-number situations.