Natural convection in partially heated square cavity

Abstract

Numerical investigations were led in a square cavity (L=1), filled with air, of which a partially heated wall, by using a numerical code based on the finite difference method. The length of the heated part, at constant temperature, varies from 20 % to 80 % of the total length. The opposite vertical wall is supposed cold. The two other horizontal walls are thermically isolated. The calculation is made in laminar flow for Rayleigh number ranging from 10⁴ to 10⁶. For the validation, a preliminary calculation of the differentially heated cavity is successfully confronted with the works listed by De Vahl Davis. The outlines of temperature, the vectors speeds and the evolution of the Nusselt number are presented for various Rayleigh number while limiting itself to the laminar case.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.22.2.12215