Heat Transfer by Laminar Natural Convection Within Rectangular Enclosures

1970 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Newell ◽  
F. W. Schmidt

Two-dimensional laminar natural convection in air contained in a long horizontal rectangular enclosure with isothermal walls at different temperatures has been investigated using numerical techniques. The time-dependent governing differential equations were solved using a method based on that of Crank and Nicholson. Steady-state solutions were obtained for height to width ratios of 1, 2.5, 10, and 20, and for values of the Grashof number, GrL′, covering the range 4 × 103 to 1.4 × 105. The bounds on the Grashof number for H/L = 20 is 8 × 103 ≤ GrL′ ≤ 4 × 104. The results were correlated with a three-dimensional power law which, yielded H/L=1Nu¯L′=0.0547(GrL′)0.3972.5≤H/L≤20Nu¯L′=0.155(GrL′)0.315(H/L)−0.265 The results compare favorably with available experimental results.

1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 902-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Heindel ◽  
S. Ramadhyani ◽  
F. P. Incropera

Two and three-dimensional calculations have been performed for laminar natural convection induced by a 3 × 3 array of discrete heat sources flush-mounted to one vertical wall of a rectangular cavity whose opposite wall was isothermally cooled. Edge effects predicted by the three-dimensional model yielded local and average Nusselt numbers that exceeded those obtained from the two-dimensional model, as well as average surface temperatures that were smaller than the two-dimensional predictions. For heater aspect ratios Ahtr ≲ 3, average Nusselt numbers increased with decreasing Ahtr. However, for Ahtr ≳ 3, the two and three-dimensional predictions were within 5 percent of each other and results were approximately independent of Ahtr. In a companion paper (Heindel et al., 1995a), predictions are compared with experimental results and heat transfer correlations are developed.


1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Anderson ◽  
A. Bejan

This paper describes an analytical study of laminar natural convection on both sides of a vertical conducting wall of finite height separating two semi-infinite fluid reservoirs of different temperatures. The countercurrent boundary layer flow formed on the two sides is illustrated via representative streamlines, temperature and heat flux distributions. The net heat transfer between reservoirs is reported for the general case in which the wall thermal resistance is not negligible relative to the overall reservoir-to-reservoir thermal resistance.


2012 ◽  
Vol 560-561 ◽  
pp. 1184-1187
Author(s):  
Su Fen Zhao ◽  
Xin Fang Li

The natural convection of nanofluids in a two-dimensional enclosure is numerically simulated with Fluent software. The effect of copper particle concentration and Grashof number on heat transfer properties is investigated. The results indicate that the suspended copper nanoparticles substantially increase the heat transfer rate at any given Grashof number, and the heat transfer rate of the nanofluid increases remarkably with the mass fraction of nanoparticles. For a given initial Grashof number, as the mass fraction increases, the velocity components of nanofluid increase as a result of an increase in the energy transport through the fluid. In addition, the intensity of the streamline increase with the increases of the Grashof number, which indicate the heat transfer properties are enhanced. The heat transfer process is dominant with the heat exchange at low Gr, while the heat transfer process is dominant with the natural convection at high Gr.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. C. Karki ◽  
P. S. Sathyamurthy ◽  
S. V. Patankar

Numerical solutions are obtained for fluid flow and heat transfer in a cubic enclosure with a vertical adiabatic partition. The two zones of the enclosure are connected by a single rectangular opening. The partition is oriented parallel to the isothermal sidewalls, one of which is heated and the other cooled while the remaining walls are adiabatic. Results have been presented for air for the Rayleigh numbers in the range 104−107. The width of the opening is held fixed while the height, relative to the enclosure height, is varied from 0.25 to 0.75. The effects of various parameters on the flow structure and heat transfer are investigated. The results of the three-dimensional simulation have also been compared with those for the corresponding two-dimensional configurations.


Author(s):  
Milorad B. Dzodzo

Laminar natural convection in cubic and rhomb–shaped enclosures (rhomb angles 59°, 44° and 28.2°) with two opposite vertical walls kept at different temperatures was investigated experimentally and numerically. The enclosures were filled with glycerol and the Rayleigh (Ra) and Prandtl (Pr) numbers ranged from 2,000<Ra<369,000 and 2,680<Pr<7,000. The visualization of the velocity and temperature fields was obtained by using Plexiglass and liquid crystal particles as tracers. The finite volume method based on the finite difference approach was applied for numerical analysis. The velocity and temperature fields and average Nusselt numbers were found as a function of the Reyleigh and Prandtl numbers. Comparison of the average Nusselt numbers for cubic and rhomb-shaped enclosures indicates decrease of heat transfer for the cases when the lower and upper vertical walls of the rhomb-shaped enclosures are at lower and higher temperatures, respectively. This is due to the tendency of fluid stratification in the lower and upper corners.


1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Nansteel ◽  
R. Greif

Heat transfer by natural convection in a two-dimensional rectangular enclosure fitted with partial vertical divisions is investigated experimentally. The horizontal walls of the enclosure are adiabatic while the vertical walls are maintained at different temperatures. The experiments are carried out with water, Pr ≃ 3.5, for Rayleigh numbers in the range, 2.3 × 1010 ⩽ RaL ⩽ 1.1 × 1011, and an aspect ratio, A = H/L = 1/2. The effect of the partial vertical divisions on the fluid flow and temperature fields is investigated by dye-injection flow visualization and by thermocouple probes, respectively. The effect of the partitions on the heat transfer across the enclosure is also studied and correlations for the Nusselt number as a function of RaL and partition length are generated for both conducting and non-conducting partition materials. Partial divisions are found to have a significant effect on the heat transfer; especially when the divisions are adiabatic. The results also indicate that the partial divisions may have a stabilizing effect on the laminar-transitional flow on the heated vertical walls of the enclosure.


Author(s):  
Triton Manzo ◽  
Mustafa-Hadj Nacer ◽  
Miles Greiner

This paper presents preliminary results of heat transfer simulations performed in geometrically-accurate-three-dimensional model of nuclear fuel canister filled with helium. The numerical model represents a vertical canister, which relies on natural convection as its primary heat transfer mechanism, containing 24 PWR fuel assemblies. The model includes distinct regions for the fuel pellets, cladding and gas regions within each basket opening. Symmetry boundary conditions are employed so that only one-eighth of the package cross-section is included. The canister is assumed to be filled with helium at atmospheric pressure. A constant temperature of 101.7°C is employed on the canister outer surfaces, assuming the canister to be surrounded with water. These conditions of pressure and temperature were considered, in this paper, for comparison purpose with previous work. The effects of buoyancy-induced gas motion and natural convection, along with radiation and conduction through gas regions and solid are considered. Steady state simulations using ANSYS/Fluent were performed for different heat generation rates in the fuel regions. Simulations that include the effect of natural convection and others that do not include this effect are conducted. The peak cladding temperature and its radial and axial locations are reported. The maximum allowable heat generation that brings the cladding temperatures to the radial hydride formation limit (TRH=400°C) is also reported. The results of the three dimensional model simulations were compared to two dimensional model simulations for the same heat generation rate. The results showed that the two-dimensional simulations overestimate the temperature in the canister by almost 70°C.


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