Steady laminar natural convection in open rectangular cavities
Abstract
A combined numerical and experimental investigation on natural convection in a two dimensional open cavity was performed. The cavity is rectangular with one vertical heated wall facing a vertical opening; the two horizontal walls are insulated. Numerical studies for both the square cavity with Rayleigh numbers up to 10 and the shallow cavity with height-to-length aspect ratio of 0.143 for Rayleigh numbers up to 10 under the laminar, steady flow conditions were carried out. The flow inside the cavity was solved through numerical modeling by imposing reasonable boundary conditions around an outer region near the opening. Computed flow patterns and heat transfer results illustrate the effect of the open boundary. A simplified modeling at this open boundary was then tested and computations were performed strictly inside the cavity. Good heat transfer results were obtained at a smaller computation cost by omitting the whole outside flow field. Experimental work using laser Doppler velocimetry was carried out with water as the working fluid in a shallow cavity. Heat transfer results were also obtained by measuring the electrical power input into the heater.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 1982
- Bibcode:
- 1982PhDT........34C
- Keywords:
-
- Cavities;
- Convective Flow;
- Free Convection;
- Laminar Flow;
- Flow Distribution;
- Flow Measurement;
- Heat Transfer;
- Mathematical Models;
- Rectangles;
- Steady Flow;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer