Natural Convection Heat Transfer in Vertical Fluid Layers of High Aspect Ratio

Author(s):  
Takashi Masuoka ◽  
Yasushi Kakimoto ◽  
Hirokazu Ito ◽  
Koichi Inoue

A two-dimensional numerical analysis is made on the effect of aspect ratio on flow and heat transfer characteristics of natural convection in a slender fluid layer enclosed between two vertical plates of different temperatures. It is shown that the boundary layer instability induces the hook-shaped flows and that its growth disrupts the large-scale circulatory flow into cellular flows of smaller scales, which in part include the renewed boundary layers. Then it is suggested that there exists a transition region where the average heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase of the height of a vertical fluid layer, as is seen in the transition region from laminar to turbulent natural convection along a single vertical plate. Discussion is also made on the nature of instability to yield cellular flows of smaller scales.

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noureddine Abouricha ◽  
Mustapha El Alami ◽  
Ayoub Gounni

Turbulent natural convection in a large-scale cavity has taken a great attention thanks to its importance in many engineering applications such as building. In this work, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to simulate turbulent natural convection heat transfer in a small room of housing heated from below by means of a heated floor. The ceiling and the four vertical walls of the room are adiabatic except for a portion of one vertical wall. This portion simulates a glass door with a cold temperature θc = 0. The cavity is filled by air (Pr = 0.71) and heated from below with uniformly imposed temperature θh = 1. The effects of the heat source length (Lr) and Rayleigh number (Ra) on the flow structure and heat transfer are studied for ranges of 0.2 ≤ Lr ≤ 0.8 and 5 × 106 ≤Ra ≤ 108. The heat transfer is examined in terms of local and mean Nusselt numbers. The results show that an increase in Rayleigh number or in heat source length increases the temperature in the core of the cavity. The flow structure shows that turbulent natural convection regime is fully developed for Ra = 108. Correlations for mean Nusselt number as a function with Ra for different values of Lr are expressly derived.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-244
Author(s):  
Mehdi Ahmadi ◽  
Seyed Ali Agha Mirjalily ◽  
Seyed Amir Abbas Oloomi

ABSTRACT: This study is conducted to investigate turbulent natural convection flow in an enclosure with thermal sources using the low-Reynolds number (LRN) k-? model. This enclosure has a cold source with temperature Tc and a hot source with temperature Th as thermal sources, other walls of the enclosure are adiabatic. The aim of this study is to predict the effect of change in Rayleigh number, repositioning of cold and hot sources, and thermal sources aspect ratio on the flow field, temperature, and rate of heat transfer. To achieve this aim, the equations of continuity, momentum, energy, turbulent kinetic energy, and kinetic energy dissipation are employed in the case of 2D turbulence with constant thermo-physical properties except the density in the buoyancy term (Boussinesq approximation). To numerically solve these equations, the finite volume method and SIMPLE algorithm are used. According to the modeling results, the most optimal temperature distribution in the enclosure is seen when the hot source is below the cold source. With decreasing distance between hot and cold sources, heat transfer rate increases. The maximal heat transfer rate is derived via study of the heating sources aspect ratio. In constant positions of cold and hot sources on a wall, the heat transfer rate increases with increasing Rayleigh number (Ra=109-1011). ABSTAK: Kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengkaji perubahan semula jadi aliran perolakan dalam tempat tertutup dengan sumber haba menggunakan model k-? nombor Reynolds-rendah (LRN). Bekas tertutup ini mempunyai dua sumber haba iaitu sumber sejuk dengan suhu Tc dan sumber panas dengan suhu Th, manakala dinding lain bekas ini adalah adiabatik. Tujuan kajian ini adalah bagi mengesan perubahan nombor Rayleigh, mengubah sumber sejuk dan panas dan nisbah sumber haba kepada kawasan aliran, suhu dan halaju perubahan haba. Bagi mencapai tujuan tersebut, persamaan sambungan, momentum, tenaga, tenaga kinetik perolakan, dan pengurangan tenaga kinetik telah dilaksanakan dalam kes perolakan 2D dengan sifat fizikal-haba berterusan (malar) kecuali isipadu terma keapungan (anggaran Boussinesq). Bagi menyelesaikan persamaan ini secara berangka, kaedah isipadu terhad dan algorithma MUDAH telah digunakan. Berdasarkan keputusan model, suhu distribusi optimal dalam bekas tertutup dilihat apabila sumber panas adalah kurang daripada sumber sejuk. Dengan pengurangan jarak antara sumber panas dan sejuk, kadar pertukaran haba meningkat. Kadar pertukaran haba maksima telah diperoleh melalui kajian nisbah  aspek sumber pemanasan. Kadar pertukaran haba bertambah dengan bertambahnya nombor Rayleigh  (Ra=109-1011), pada posisi tetap sumber sejuk dan panas pada dinding bekas.


1979 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Randall ◽  
J. W. Mitchell ◽  
M. M. El-Wakil

Heat transfer by natural convection in rectangular enclosures has been experimentally studied using interferometric techniques. The effects of Grashof number, tilt angle, and aspect ratio on both the local and average heat transfer coefficients have been determined. The Grashof number range tested was 4 × 103 to 3.1 × 105, and the aspect ratio (ratio of enclosure length to plate spacing) varied between 9 and 36. The angles of tilt of the enclosure with respect to the horizontal were 45, 60, 75 and 90 deg. Correlations are developed for both local and average Nusselt number over the range of test variables. The effect of tilt angle is found to reduce the average heat transfer by about 18 percent from the value of 45 deg to that at 90 deg. No significant effect of aspect ratio over the range tested was found. A method for characterizing the flow regimes that is based on heat transfer mechanisms is proposed.


1973 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. T. Hollands

This paper presents an experimental study of the stability of and natural convection heat transfer through a horizontal fluid layer heated from below and constrained internally by a honeycomb. Examination of the types of boundary conditions exacted on the fluid at the cell side-walls has shown that there are three limiting cases: (1) perfectly conducting side-walls; (2) perfectly adiabatic side-walls; and (3) side-walls having zero thickness. Experiments described in this paper approach the latter category. The fluid used is air and the honeycomb used is square-celled. Measured critical Rayleigh numbers are found to be intermediate between those applying to cases (1) and (2), and consistent with an “equivalent wave number” of approximately 0.95 times that for case (1). The measured natural convective heat transfer after instability is found to be significantly less than that predicted by the Malkus-Veronis power integral technique. However, it is found to approach asymptotically the heat transfer which would take place through a similar fluid layer unconstrained by a honeycomb. A general correlation equation for the heat transfer is given.


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