ANALYSIS OF LAMINAR NATURAL CONVECTION FROM A DISCRETE ISOTHERMAL FLUSH HEATER MOUNTED ON THE SIDE WALL OF A PARTIALLY OPEN RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE

Abstract

A numerical study is performed for natural confection cooling of a discrete isothermal heater located on one vertical wall of a partially open two-dimensional enclosure. The governing equations are solved using the SIMPLER algorithm. Studies are performed for 10³ <Ra <10⁶ with air as the cooling medium for different heater locations and barrier heights. The primary circulation is stronger for higher Ra and lower heater positions. The barrier strongly affects the size and the strength of the recirculation formed near the barrier, although its effect on the bulk circulation and heat transfer is negligible. Correlations of average Nusselt number are developed for different heater locations and barrier heights.

Notes

Address correspondence to Dipten Misra, Application Software R&D Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Calcutta 700 032, India.