Natural convection in cavities containing internal sources

 Numerical predictions are reported for buoyancy-induced circulations in a 2D closed cavity with internal heat sources. Two cases are considered: (A) two vertical plates with uniform heat generation, forming a short vertical channel within the enclosure; and, (B) a rectangular heating block with uniform wall temperature, placed central in the enclosure. Air, with a Prandtl number 0.71, is considered as the working fluid. The vertical enclosure walls are isothermal, while the horizontal enclosure walls are adiabatic. Results are presented for two values of the Grashof number, one below the stability limit for laminar flow, and one well above it. In those latter cases, the long-term behaviour of the numerical solution is time-dependent, i.e. no steady-state can be reached. Heat transfer results are compared with predictions from standard correlations for isolated surfaces. Received on 17 January 2000