| Abstract: | This paper describes a preliminary numerical analysis of the effect of duct velocity profile and buoyancy‐induced flow generated by the heat source on hydrodynamic removal of contaminants contained in cavities. The process of fluid renewal in a cavity is modelled via a numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations coupled with the energy equation for transient flows. The foulant has the same density as the fluid in the duct and the duct velocity profile is considered to be Poiseuille flow and Couette flow, respectively. The results show that the change in Grashof number and duct flow velocity profile causes a dramatic difference in the observed flow patterns and cleaning efficiency. From a cleaning perspective, the results suggest that Couette flow at higher value of Grashof number becomes more effective in further purging of contaminated fluid from a cavity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
