Effects of Insulated and Isothermal Baffles on Pseudosteady-State Natural Convection Inside Spherical Containers

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuping Duan ◽  
S. F. Hosseinizadeh ◽  
J. M. Khodadadi

The effects of insulated and isothermal thin baffles on pseudosteady-state natural convection within spherical containers were studied computationally. The computations are based on an iterative, finite-volume numerical procedure using primitive dependent variables. Natural convection effect is modeled via the Boussinesq approximation. Parametric studies were performed for a Prandtl number of 0.7. For Rayleigh numbers of 104, 105, 106, and 107, baffles with three lengths positioned at five different locations were investigated (120 cases). The fluid that is heated adjacent to the sphere rises replacing the colder fluid, which sinks downward through the stratified stable thermal layer. For high Ra number cases, the hot fluid at the bottom of the sphere is also observed to rise along the symmetry axis and encounter the sinking colder fluid, thus causing oscillations in the temperature and flow fields. Due to flow obstruction (blockage or confinement) effect of baffles and also because of the extra heating afforded by the isothermal baffle, multi-cell recirculating vortices are observed. This additional heat is directly linked to creation of another recirculating vortex next to the baffle. In effect, hot fluid is directed into the center of the sphere disrupting thermal stratified layers. For the majority of the baffles investigated, the Nusselt numbers were generally lower than the reference cases with no baffle. The extent of heat transfer modification depends on Ra, length, and location of the extended surface. With an insulated baffle, the lowest amount of absorbed heat corresponds to a baffle positioned horizontally. Placing a baffle near the top of the sphere for high Ra number cases can lead to heat transfer enhancement that is linked to disturbance of the thermal boundary layer. With isothermal baffles, heat transfer enhancement is achieved for a baffle placed near the bottom of the sphere due to interaction of the counterclockwise rotating vortex and the stratified layer. For some high Ra cases, strong fluctuations of the flow and thermal fields indicating departure from the pseudosteady-state were observed.

Author(s):  
Yuping Duan ◽  
S. F. Hosseinizadeh ◽  
J. M. Khodadadi

The effect of an insulated thin baffle on pseudosteady-state natural convection within spherical containers is studied computationally. The computations are based on an iterative, finite-volume numerical procedure using primitive dependent variables, whereby the time-dependent, two-dimensional axisymmetric form of the governing continuity, momentum and energy equations are solved. Natural convection effect is modeled via the Boussinesq approximation. Parametric studies were performed for a Prandtl number of 0.7. For Rayleigh numbers of 104, 105, 106 and 107, baffles with 3 lengths positioned at 5 different locations were investigated. In effect, a parametric study involving 60 cases were performed. The computational results were benchmarked against previous data available in the literature by comparing the heat transfer correlations, temperature distribution and streamline patterns for cases with no baffle. In general, regardless of the presence of an insulated baffle, fluid that is heated adjacent to the surface of the sphere rises replacing the colder fluid which sinks downward. For high Ra number cases, the hot fluid at the bottom of the sphere is also observed to rise along the symmetry axis and encounter the sinking colder fluid. This behavior can lead to onset of oscillations in the temperature and flow fields. Due to blockage effect of an insulated thin baffle, multi-cell recirculating vortex structures are observed. The number and strength of these vortices depend on the position and length of the baffle. In the absence of heat transfer path through the insulated baffle, flow obstruction is the major feature of this problem. For the majority of the length and location combinations investigated, less heat is brought into the fluid thus lowering the time rate of rise of the bulk temperature. The extent of heat transfer modification depends on the Rayleigh number, length and location of the extended surface.


Author(s):  
S. F. Hosseinizadeh ◽  
Yuping Duan ◽  
J. M. Khodadadi

The influence of an isothermal thin baffle on pseudosteady-state natural convection within spherical containers is studied computationally. The computations are based on an iterative, finite-volume numerical procedure using primitive dependent variables, whereby the time-dependent, two-dimensional axisymmetric form of the governing continuity, momentum and energy equations are solved. Natural convection effect is modeled via the Boussinesq approximation. Parametric studies were performed for a Prandtl number of 0.7. For Rayleigh numbers of 104, 105, 106 and 107, baffles with 3 lengths positioned at 5 different locations were investigated. In effect, a parametric study involving 60 cases were performed. The computational results were benchmarked against previous data available in the literature by comparing the heat transfer correlations, temperature distribution and streamline patterns for cases with no baffle. In general, regardless of the presence of an isothermal baffle, fluid that is heated adjacent to the surface of the sphere rises replacing the colder fluid which sinks downward. For high Ra number cases, the hot fluid at the bottom of the sphere is also observed to rise along the symmetry axis and encounter the sinking colder fluid. This behavior can lead to onset of oscillations in the temperature and flow fields. Partly due to the blockage effect of an isothermal thin baffle and also the extra heating afforded by the baffle, multi-cell recirculating vortex structures are observed. The number and strength of these vortices depend on the position and length of the baffle. The additional heat that is brought into the baffle through the isothermal baffle is directly linked to creation of a counter clockwise rotating vortex next to the baffle. This baffle, in turn, directs hot fluid into the center of the sphere and disrupts thermal stratified layers. For the majority of the length and location combinations investigated, the Nusselt number is lower than the case with no baffle, however the time rate of rise of the bulk temperature can be greater for some combinations. The extent of heat transfer modifications depends on the Rayleigh number, length and location of the baffle.


1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Sparrow ◽  
C. Prakash

An analysis has been performed to determine whether, in natural convection, a staggered array of discrete vertical plates yields enhanced heat transfer compared with an array of continuous parallel vertical plates having the same surface area. The heat transfer results were obtained by numerically solving the equations of mass, momentum, and energy for the two types of configurations. It was found that the use of discrete plates gives rise to heat transfer enhancement when the parameter (Dh/H)Ra > ∼2 × 103 (Dh = hydraulic diameter of flow passage, H = overall system height). The extent of the enhancement is increased by use of numerous shorter plates, by larger transverse interplate spacing, and by relatively short system heights. For the parameter ranges investigated, the maximum heat transfer enhancement, relative to the parallel plate case, was a factor of two. The general degree of enhancement compares favorably with that which has been obtained in forced convection systems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 3822-3856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmal Kumar Manna ◽  
Nirmalendu Biswas ◽  
Pallab Sinha Mahapatra

Purpose This study aims to enhance natural convection heat transfer for a porous thermal cavity. Multi-frequency sinusoidal heating is applied at the bottom of a porous square cavity, considering top wall adiabatic and cooling through the sidewalls. The different frequencies, amplitudes and phase angles of sinusoidal heating are investigated to understand their major impacts on the heat transfer characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The finite volume method is used to solve the governing equations in a two-dimensional cavity, considering incompressible laminar flow, Boussinesq approximation and Brinkman–Forchheimer–Darcy model. The mean-temperature constraint is applied for enhancement analysis. Findings The multi-frequency heating can markedly enhance natural convection heat transfer even in the presence of porous medium (enhancement up to ∼74 per cent). Only the positive phase angle offers heat transfer enhancement consistently in all frequencies (studied). Research limitations/implications The present research idea can usefully be extended to other multi-physical areas (nanofluids, magneto-hydrodynamics, etc.). Practical implications The findings are useful for devices working on natural convection. Originality/value The enhancement using multi-frequency heating is estimated under different parametric conditions. The effect of different frequencies of sinusoidal heating, along with the uniform heating, is collectively discussed from the fundamental point of view using the average and local Nusselt number, thermal and hydrodynamic boundary layers and heatlines.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. Moon ◽  
T. O’Connell ◽  
R. Sharma

The heat transfer rate from a smooth wall in an internal cooling passage can be significantly enhanced by using a convex patterned surface on the opposite wall of the passage. This design is particularly effective for a design that requires the heat transfer surface to be free of any augmenting features (smooth). Heat transfer coefficients on the smooth wall in a rectangular channel, which had convexities on the opposite wall were experimentally investigated. Friction factors were also measured to assess the thermal performance. Relative clearances δ/d between the convexities and the smooth wall of 0, 0.024, and 0.055 were investigated in a Reynolds number ReHD range from 15,000 to 35,000. The heat transfer coefficients were measured in the thermally developed region using a transient thermochromic liquid crystal technique. The clearance gap between the convexities and the smooth wall adversely affected the heat transfer enhancement NuHD. The friction factors (f ), measured in the aerodynamically developed region, were largest for the cases of no clearance δ/d=0). The average heat transfer enhancement Nu¯HD was also largest for the cases of no clearance δ/d=0, as high as 3.08 times at a Reynolds number of 11,456 in relative to that Nuo of an entirely smooth channel. The normalized Nusselt numbers Nu¯HD/Nuo, as well as the normalized friction factors f/fo, for all three cases, decreased with Reynolds numbers. However, the decay rate of the friction factor ratios f/fo with Reynolds numbers was lower than that of the normalized Nusselt numbers. For all three cases investigated, the thermal performance Nu¯HD/Nuo/f/fo1/3 values were within 5% to each other. The heat transfer enhancement using a convex patterned surface was thermally more effective at a relative low Reynolds numbers (less than 20,000 for δ/d=0) than that of a smooth channel.


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