Natural convection in interacting cavities heated from below

Abstract

Heat transfer by natural convection in a system formed by two and three cavities heated from below and covered by a cold plate is numerically studied using the Navier‐Stokes equations with the Boussinesq approximation. Presents results in terms of streamlines, isotherms and heat transfer for Rayleigh numbers ranging from 10³ to 10⁶ and the Prandtl number 0.72 (air). Geometric parameters are the aspect ratio A = L′/H′ = 1.5 and 2.5 respectively for two and three cavities, the relative height of the cavities B (1/8 ≤ B = h′/H′ ≤ 1/2) and the parameter C = l′₁/l′₂ = 1. The inclination angle Φ from the horizontal was varied from 0 to 180°. The calculations reveal that the flow regime depends strongly on the Rayleigh number, the parameter B and the inclination angle Φ of the system; it may be stationary, oscillatory periodic or chaotic. The geometrical parameter B has a significant effect on the transition from one regime to another.

Citation

Raji, A., Hasnaoui, M. and Zrikem, Z. (1997), "Natural convection in interacting cavities heated from below", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 7 No. 6, pp. 580-597. https://doi.org/10.1108/09615539710170763