Natural convection in interacting cavities heated from below Available to Purchase

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.