Analysis of natural convection in the space between concentric vertical cylinders of different height and diameter

The considered analysis is concerned with the natural convection flow and heat transfer in the enclosed space between two vertical cylinders, with the special feature that the inner cylinder is not only smaller in diameter but also of lesser height than the outer cylinder. The two cylinders are concentric. The surface of the inner cylinder is maintained isothermal at a certain temperature, while the temperature of the outer cylinder is uniform and equal to another temperature. Owing to the temperature difference, a recirculating flow is set up in the space between the cylinders. The solutions were obtained numerically by means of an elliptic finite-difference method. The results presented include local, per-surface, and overall heat transfer rates and coefficients, streamline and isotherm maps, and velocity profiles.