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Natural and mixed convection in air in an inclined channel with the lower wall heated at uniform heat flux and in the presence of an obstacle either at the entrance or exit of the channel is investigated experimentally and numerically, respectively. The study is accomplished for several heat fluxes. In mixed convection the Reynolds number is equal to 150, this being in the laminar regime. Natural convection investigation is carried out with Rayleigh number equal to Ra=6.68x10 and 2.67x10. The effect of the obstacle disposition and height is investigated by flow visualization and wall temperature distribution.

In the present numerical investigation, a transient numerical analysis for natural convection in air, between two vertical parallel plates (channel), heated at uniform heat flux, with adiabatic parallel plates downstream (chimney), is carried out by means of the finite volume method. The analyzed transient problem is two-dimensional and laminar. The computational domain is made up of the channel-chimney system, and two reservoirs, placed upstream the channel and downstream the chimney. The reservoirs are important because they simulate the thermal and fluid dynamic behaviors far away from the inflow and outflow regions. Results are presented in terms of wall temperature and air velocity profiles. They are given at different Rayleigh number and expansion ratios (chimney gap/channel gap) for a fixed channel aspect ratio (channel height/channel gap) equal to 10 and extension ratio (channel-chimney height/channel height) equal to 2.0. Wall temperature profiles over a period show the presence of overshoots and undershoots. The comparison among the maximum wall temperatures shows that the simple channel is the most critical configuration at steady state condition, but it is the best configuration during the transient heating at the first overshoot. As indicated by the temperature profiles, average Nusselt number profiles over a period of consideration show minimum and maximum values and oscillations before the steady state. Stream function fields allow to observe the development of fluid dynamic structures inside the channel-chimney system, particularly how and when the cold inflow is present and develops.

A numerical transient analysis of natural convection in air between two vertical parallel plates, heated at uniform heat flux, is carried out. The problem is two-dimensional and laminar and the full Navier-Stokes and energy equations are employed. The control volume method is used to discretize the equations on a uniform grid. Results are given at different aspect ratio values and Rayleigh number values. The simulation allows detection of complex structures of the flow inside and outside the channel. Temperature profiles as a function of time show an overshoot and undershoot increase at the lowest aspect ratio and highest Rayleigh number. Inside the channel conductive and convective regimes as well as an inverse fluid motion are observed. Transient average Nusselt number presents oscillations before the steady-state.

A parametric analysis of natural convection in air, in a channel–chimney system, symmetrically heated at uniform heat flux, obtained by means of a numerical simulation, is carried out. The analyzed regime is two-dimensional, laminar and steady-state. Results are presented in terms of wall temperature profiles in order to show the more thermally convenient configurations which correspond to the channel–chimney system with the lowest maximum wall temperature. For the considered Rayleigh number, the difference between the highest and the lowest maximum wall temperatures increases with increasing the channel aspect ratio. The optimal expansion ratio values depend strongly on the Rayleigh number and extension ratio values and slightly on the channel aspect ratio. Correlations for dimensionless mass flow rate, maximum wall temperature and average Nusselt number, in terms of Rayleigh number and dimensionless geometric parameters are presented in the ranges: 5 ⩽ Ra ∗ ⩽ 2.0 × 10 4 , 1.5 ⩽ L / L h ⩽ 4.0 and 1.0 ⩽ B / b ⩽ 4.0 .

A numerical investigation on two-dimensional transient natural convection in a vertical channel-chimney system with the channel heated asymmetrically and the chimney geometrically asymmetric is carried out. The heated channel wall is at uniform heat flux and the other one is assumed to be adiabatic. The chimney walls are adiabatic. Results are obtained for different expansion and extension ratios of the channel-chimney system and Rayleigh number equal to 10 and 10. They are presented in terms of maximum heated wall temperatures and average Nusselt number as a function of time and stream function fields for some time values. Optimal thermal configurations in terms of minimum value of maximum heated wall temperature and maximum average Nusselt numbers are evaluated. Complex flow structures in the channel-chimney system are detected.

A description of transient natural convection in air in a vertical parallel plates channel, with one plate heated and the other one cooled at uniform heat flux, is numerically accomplished. The transient problem is two-dimensional and laminar with constant thermophysical properties. The numerical solution is carried out employing the commercial CFD code Fluent. The computational domain is made up of the physical configuration and two reservoirs, placed downstream and upstream the channel. Results are obtained for Rayleigh number between 103 and 106 and they are presented in terms of wall temperature profiles as a function of time, velocity and temperature profiles along transversal channel sections. The simulation allows to describe the fluid motion structures inside and outside the channel. A complete skew-symmetric motion is detected. For Ra≥105 temperature profiles as a function of time show periodical oscillations. For Ra≥104 overshoots are observed along the profiles and for corresponding average Nusselt number profiles dips are present.

Recent trends in natural-convection research are the finding of new configurations to improve heat transfer parameters or the analysis of standard configurations to determine optimal geometric parameters in order to achieve a better heat transfer rate. In this article a numerical simulation of natural convection in air in a channel-chimney system heated symmetrically at uniform heat flux is carried out. The regime analyzed is two-dimensional, laminar, and steady-state. Wall temperature profiles, air velocity and temperature profiles, and centerline pressure profiles are presented. A comparison with experimental data given in 141 is accomplished and some differences are observed, but thermal and dynamic behavior for different expansion ratios are the same. Results analysis explains how and why the "chimney effect" worsens. The effect is connected to the cold inflow at the outlet section, and this effect is more marked at higher Rayleigh number, Ra. Consequently, optimal thermal configuration for assigned extension ratio presents a larger value of expansion ratio at the lower Ra values.

In the present numerical investigation, a transient numerical analysis for natural convection in air, between two vertical parallel plates (channel), heated at uniform heat flux, with adiabatic parallel plates downstream (chimney), is carried out by means of the finite volume method. The analyzed transient problem is two-dimensional and laminar. Results are presented in terms of wall temperature, mass flow rate and air velocity profiles. They are given at different Rayleigh number and expansion ratios (chimney gap/channel gap) for a fixed channel aspect ratio (channel height/channel gap) equal to 10 and extension ratio (channel-chimney height/channel height) equal to 2.0. Wall temperature profiles vs time show the presence of overshoots and undershoots. The comparison among the maximum wall temperatures shows that the simple channel is the most critical configuration at steady state condition, but the best configuration during the transient heating at the first overshoot. Velocity profiles in the chimney allow for identification of some different fluid dynamic behaviors such as the vortex in lower corner and the cold inflow in the chimney. According to the temperature profiles, average Nusselt number profiles as a function of time show minimum and maximum values and oscillations before the steady state.Copyright © 2005 by ASME

In this paper a parametric analysis of natural convection in air in a channel-chimney system symmetrically heated at uniform heat flux, obtained by means of a numerical simulation, is carried out. The analysed regime is two-dimensional, laminar and steady-state. The numerical procedure employs the full Navier-Stokes and energy equations in terms of the stream function-vorticity approach. Results are presented in terms of wall temperature profiles in order to show the more thermally convenient configurations which correspond to the channel-chimney system with the lowest maximum wall temperature. The analysis is obtained for a Rayleigh number in the range between 102 and 105 , for a channel aspect ratio equal to 5, 10 and 20 and the extension and expansion ratios between 1.0 and 4.0. Correlations for dimensionless mass flow rate, maximum wall temperature and average Nusselt number in terms of Rayleigh number, aspect ratio, extension and expansion ratios are presented. Geometric optimal configurations, for assigned Rayleigh number and aspect ratio, are estimated as a function of the extension ratio. For considered Rayleigh number the difference between the highest and the lowest maximum wall temperatures increases increasing the channel aspect ratio. This behaviour is as greater as the extension ratio is. These differences decrease significantly for the highest Rayleigh number value. The optimal expansion ratio values depend strongly on Rayleigh number and extension ratio values and slightly on the aspect ratio.Copyright © 2006 by ASME