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Penetration of free convection into a lateral cavity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

Adrian Bejan  and
Shigeo Kimura
Adrian Bejan
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309
Shigeo Kimura
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309
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Abstract

The paper presents a theoretical and experimental study of natural convection in a horizontal cavity which communicates laterally with a large reservoir. The cavity walls and the reservoir are at different temperatures. It is shown theoretically that the flow consists of a horizontal counterflow which penetrates the cavity over a distinct length. The penetration length is shown to be proportional to the cavity height and to the square root of the Rayleigh number based on cavity height and cavity-reservoir temperature difference. The validity of the theory is demonstrated on the basis of a flow visualization experiment. It is shown also that the Nusselt number for cavity-reservoir heat exchange is proportional to the square root of the Rayleigh number, and is relatively insensitive to the Prandtl number in the Pr range 0·7 to ∞. The energy-engineering applications of the lateral penetration flow are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 103 , February 1981 , pp. 465 - 478
Copyright
© 1981 Cambridge University Press

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