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Abstract
The effects of partition thickness on countercurrent exchange flow through a horizontal opening were studied numerically by solving the unsteady, two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in a cylindrical coordinate system. The physical model consisted of a vertical cylinder divided into two chambers by a horizontal partition. The partition contained a small, axially centered, circular opening that connected the two chambers. The upper chamber was filled with cold water and the lower chamber with warm water, creating a density differential between the two chambers. Opposing forces at the interface created a gravitationally unstable system, and an oscillating exchange of fluid developed. Several cases were examined and classified with respect to an aspect ratio L / D ,where L represents the thickness of the partition and D represents the diameter of the opening in the partition. Results were obtained for cases with L / D =0.0376, 0.15, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.0, and indicate that the flow exchange increases with increasing partition thickness over the range 0.0376 h L / D <0.3, and decreases in the range of 0.3< L / D h 1.0. The frequency of the oscillatory flow pattern was also examined for the different L / D cases.