A Differential Quadrature Solution of Natural Convection in an Enclosure with a Partial Partition

Abstract

Natural convection in a partially divided enclosure has been examined numerically using a differential quadrature method. Governing equations for the flow and heat transfer have been constructed by the vorticity-stream function formulation and computational results have been obtained for the Rayleigh numbers, 10⁴, 10⁵, 10⁶, the locations of the partition, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and the partition ratios, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0. The results show that circulation strength, and therefore heat transfer, decreases considerably with increasing partition height especially for the higher values of the Rayleigh number. As the distance of the partition from the hot wall increases, first a decrease and then an increase is observed in the average Nusselt number for the low Rayleigh numbers and first an increase and then a decrease turns out for the high Rayleigh numbers. As for the average Nusselt number on the partition, first it shows a decreasing trend and then an increasing trend as the partition is distanced from the hot wall towards the cold wall. The increase in the partition height brings about significant increase in the average Nusselt number on the partition.