![Sample our Engineering & Technology journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5933/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Engineering-Tech.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Natural convection in a convergent channel with finite-thickness principal walls at uniform heat flux is investigated numerically. Heat conduction in the walls and the effects of walls emissivity are taken into account. Laminar two-dimensional steady-state conditions are assumed. Results in terms of wall dimensionless temperature profiles as a function of convergence angle, channel spacing, and heat flux are given for various values of wall emissivity. Wall temperatures decrease significantly, passing from δ = 0° to 2° at the lowest channel spacing. Streamlines and temperature fields show a recirculating region in the channel for large values of L w/b min and for δ equal to 5° and 10°. Correlations between Nusselt numbers and Rayleigh numbers are proposed. Dimensionless parameters are in the following ranges: 4.4 ≤ Ra′bmin ≤ 1.5 × 105, 10 ≤ L w /b min ≤ 58, 0.0 ≤ ϵ ≤ 1.0, and 0° ≤ δ ≤ 10°. Numerical predictions are in very good agreement with experimental data.
This work was supported by Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca with a 2003–2005 Progetto di Ricerca d'Interesse Nazionale grant and Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli with 2003 and 2005 research grants.
Notes
UWT: Uniform Wall Temperature.
UWHF: Uniform Wall Heat Flux.
