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Abstract
A detailed numerical analysis is carried out to study the transient natural convection in a symmetrically heated vertical plate channel of finite height due to a step change in plate temperature. Both the inlet and exit effects are included in the analysis. In particular, a numerical scheme derived from the SIMPLER algorithm is employed to solve the governing differential equations. Emphasis is placed on the temporal evolution of the flow and thermal characteristics. Results are obtained for air with Ra varying from 103 to 106 and the aspect ratio from 5 to 10. The existence of multiple cells in the channel and in the region surrounding the top end during the transient stage is predicted. Over a certain period, temperature overshoot is noted, causing a dip in the time variation of the Nusselt number. Correlation equations are proposed for the average Nusselt number and the amount of air drawn into the channel at the steady state.