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Natural convection in a square enclosure heated periodically from part of the bottom wall

Journal Article · · Numerical Heat Transfer. Part A, Applications
;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Marrakesh (Morocco)
  2. Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

Transient heat transfer by laminar natural convection in a square cavity partially heated from below is studied numerically using a finite difference procedure. The temperature of the heating element is uniform, but its magnitude varies sinusoidally with time, oscillating about a fixed mean value. The opposite cold wall is maintained, at a constant temperature, while the rest of the bottom wall and the vertical walls are adiabatic. The transient solutions obtained are all periodic in time (0.02 {<=} {tau} {<=} {infinity}). Parameters of the problem are the enclosure aspect ratio (A = 1), dimensionless length of the heating element (0.125 {<=} B {<=} 0.5), position of the heating element (0 {<=} {epsilon} {<=} 0.25), dimensionless amplitude of the heating element temperature (0 {<=} a {<=} 0.4), Prandtl number (Pr = 0.72), and Raleigh number (10{sup 5} {<=} Ra {<=} 2 {times} 10{sup 6}). Heat transfer and effects of various parameters on the flow and temperature fields are studied. Natural convection in enclosures has been of interest in many engineering applications for many years. Well-known examples are in thermal design of buildings, solar collectors, electronic or computer equipment, and thermal energy storage systems.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
63004
Journal Information:
Numerical Heat Transfer. Part A, Applications, Journal Name: Numerical Heat Transfer. Part A, Applications Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 27; ISSN NHAAES; ISSN 1040-7782
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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