This study aims to numerically investigate the effect of thermal radiation, heat absorption/generation, and the sidewall’s nonuniform heating condition by a hat function on free convective movement and heat transport of a micropolar fluid in a square chamber. The heat absorption/generation and thermal radiation are taken into account to examine flow and thermal pattern. The entropy generation and ecological coefficient of performance are also examined.
The vertical (left) sidewall is subjected to nonuniform thermal conditions characterized by a hat or triangular function while the right wall has a constant cooling zone. The adiabatic condition is imposed on horizontal walls. The governing model based on nonlinear partial differential equations is numerically solved using the finite volume method. Numerical simulations are performed for various combinations of the relevant governing parameters. The outcomes of micropolar fluids are compared with Newtonian liquids.
It is seen that the local Nusselt number profile performs as an imposed thermal condition on the boundary. The mean heat transfer rate declines when raising the material parameter (k) and strengthening of heat generation (Qg). When increasing micro-rotation (n) values, the amount of heat transfer increased slightly. The averaged heat transport rate enhances on strengthening the values of the radiation parameter and Grashof number. The optimum value of ECOP (ecological coefficient of performance) is attained in the absence of radiation and strong heat absorption cases.
The flow is laminar and incompressible. The thermal radiation is taken based on the Rosseland approximation.
The results are useful to the microfluidic and MEMS devices, cooling of electronic devices, and energy systems.
The consideration of hat function (triangular-shape) heating with thermal radiation on convective flow of micropolar fluid is new to literature because triangular heating is useful for representing localized peak heating conditions.
