Natural Convective Heat Transfer From a Horizontal Rectangular Isothermal Element Imbedded in a Plane Adiabatic Surface With a Parallel Adiabatic Covering Surface

Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen

Natural convective heat transfer from a horizontal flat rectangular isothermal heated element imbedded in a flat rectangular adiabatic surface has been numerically studied. The surface of the heated rectangular element is in the same plane as the surface of the surrounding adiabatic material. A rectangular flat horizontal adiabatic surface is mounted parallel to and at a relatively short distance from the heated element. The heated element is facing upwards with the covering surface above the element. For the conditions considered laminar, transitional, and turbulent flows can occur. The flow has been assumed to be steady. Constant fluid properties have been assumed except for the density change with temperature which gives rise to the buoyancy forces. This was dealt with using the Boussinesq approach. To obtain the solution, the commercial CFD solver ANSYS FLUENT© was used to numerically solve the governing equations. The k-epsilon turbulence model was employed with account being taken of buoyancy force effects. The effects of the dimensionless distance of the rectangular covering surface from the heated rectangular element and of the ratio of the side lengths of the rectangular element on the variation of the Nusselt number with Rayleigh number have been examined.

Author(s):  
Abdulrahim Kalendar ◽  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
Bader Kalandar

Natural convective heat transfer from a two narrow adjacent rectangular isothermal flat plates of the same size embedded in a plane adiabatic surface, the adiabatic surface being in the same plane as the surfaces of the heated plates, has been numerically investigated. The two plates have the same surface temperature and they are aligned with each other but are separated form each other by a relatively small gap. Results for the case where the plates are vertical and where they are inclined at positive or negative angles to the vertical have been obtained. It has been assumed that the fluid properties are constant except for the density change with temperature which gives rise to the buoyancy forces, this having been treated using the Boussinesq approach. It has also been assumed that the flow is symmetrical about the vertical center plane between the two plates. The solution has been obtained by numerically solving the full three-dimensional form of governing equations, these equations being written in dimensionless form. The solution was obtained using the commercial finite volume method based cfd code, FLUENT. The solution has the Rayleigh number, the dimensionless plate width, the angle of inclination, the dimensionless gap between two flat plates, and the Prandtl number as parameters. Results have only been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.7 Results have been obtained for Rayleigh numbers between 103 and 107 for plate width-to-height ratios of between 0.15 and 0.6, for gap between the adjacent edges to plate height ratios of between 0 and 0.2, for angles of inclination between +45° and −45°.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
Jane T. Paul

Two-dimensional natural convective heat transfer from vertical plates has been extensively studied. However, when the width of the plate is relatively small compared to its height, the heat transfer rate can be greater than that predicted by these two-dimensional flow results. Because situations that can be approximately modelled as narrow vertical plates occur in a number of practical situations, there exists a need to be able to predict heat transfer rates from such narrow plates. Attention has here been given to a plate with a uniform surface heat flux. The magnitude of the edge effects will, in general, depend on the boundary conditions existing near the edge of the plate. To examine this effect, two situations have been considered. In one, the heated plate is imbedded in a large plane adiabatic surface, the surfaces of the heated plane and the adiabatic surface being in the same plane while in the second there are plane adiabatic surfaces above and below the heated plate but the edge of the plate is directly exposed to the surrounding fluid. The flow has been assumed to be steady and laminar and it has been assumed that the fluid properties are constant except for the density change with temperature which gives rise to the buoyancy forces, this having been treated by using the Boussinesq approach. It has also been assumed that the flow is symmetrical about the vertical centre-plane of the plate. The solution has been obtained by numerically solving the full three-dimensional form of the governing equations, these equations being written in terms of dimensionless variables. Results have only been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.7. A wide range of the other governing parameters have been considered for both edge situations and the conditions under which three dimensional flow effects can be neglected have been deduced.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
David Naylor

The horizontal frame members that often protrude from the inner surface of a window can significantly effect the convective heat transfer rate from this inner surface to the room. The purpose of the present numerical study was to determine how the size of a pair of horizontal frame members effect this heat transfer rate. The flow has been assumed to be steady and conditions under which laminar, transitional, and turbulent flows occur are considered. Fluid properties have been assumed constant except for the density change with temperature that gives rise to the buoyancy forces, this being dealt with using the Boussinesq approach. The governing equations have been solved using the FLUENT commercial CFD code. The k-epsilon turbulence model with standard wall functions and with buoyancy force effects fully accounted for has been used. The solution has the following parameters: the Rayleigh number, the Prandtl number, the dimensionless window recess depth, and the dimensionless width and depth of the frame members. Results have been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.74.


Author(s):  
P R N Childs ◽  
C A Long

The study of heat transfer by forced convection in annular passages is of interest across the range of process and aeronautical industries, for example from annular heat exchangers to the various configurations of annuli found in turbomachinery. The aim of this paper is to review relevant experimental, numerical and analytical research of heat transfer in both stationary and rotating annuli, with an emphasis on presenting useful information for designers. The geometries considered are the stationary annulus with superposed axial throughflow and the rotating annulus with rotation of either the inner or outer cylinder (both with and without throughflow). The work presented covers laminar and turbulent flows as well as flow regimes where transition occurs or vortex flows are present.


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