Analysis of Entropy Generation for Mixed Convection in a Square Cavity for Various Thermal Boundary Conditions

Abstract

Finite element simulations were carried out to analyze entropy generation during mixed convection inside square enclosures with an isothermally hot bottom wall, adiabatic top wall, and isothermally cold side walls (case 1) or linearly heated side walls (case 2), or linearly heated left wall with isothermally cold right wall (case 3) for Pr = 0.015–7.2, Re = 1–100, and Gr = 10³–10⁵. Local entropy maps are studied in detail, and the dominance of thermal (S_θ,l) and frictional (S_ψ,l) irreversibility is studied using Bejan number maps. In addition, variation in total entropy generation (S_total), average Bejan number (Be_av), and average Nusselt number at the bottom wall with Gr are analyzed to correlate irreversibility and the overall heat transfer rate of the system or process. It is found that, for Pr = 0.015 and 7.2, Re = 100 may be the optimal level for higher convective heat transport with minimum entropy generation in all the cases for Gr = 10³–10⁵.