NATURAL CONVECTION OF MICROPOLAR FLUIDS IN A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ENCLOSURE WITH A CONDUCTIVE PARTITION

Abstract

The phenomenon of natural convection in a completely partitioned enclosure heated from below is investigated. The effects of the thermal conductivity of the partition and the material parameters of micropolar fluid on the fluid flow and temperature fields in the enclosure are studied numerically. Results indicate that the average Nusselt number is considerably lower for micropolar fluid than for Newtonian fluid. An increase in the value of vortex viscosity results in a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient. The microrolation and fluid flow fields are considerably influenced by the material parameters that characterize the micropolar fluid. The effect of the conductivity ratio of the partition on the heat transfer rate is not significant. However, the location and the thickness of the partition dominate the thermal field considerably. Increasing the inclined angle of the enclosure, the Nusselt number increases monotonically, attains its maximum value in the neighborhood of 60°, then decreases gradually and becomes pure conduction for a completely reversed enclosure.