Mixed convection and conduction heat transfer in open cavities

A numerical study has been carried out on mixed convection and conduction in open cavities. The study covers the Rayleigh number from 10 to 10⁶, the Reynolds number from 1 to 10³ andk _r =k _w /k _a from 1 to 100 forPr=0.72 (air) and cavity aspect ratioB from 0.8 to 1.3. The flow is assumed to be laminar and two-dimensional. The density variation is taken into account by the Boussinesq approximation. The controlvolume approach is used for solving the governing equations of conjugate heat transfer involving conduction in the walls. Streamlines and isotherms in the system are produced and the results are represented in terms of the Nusselt number as function of other parameters. Correlations are derived to calculate heat transfer through the cavity openings.