Laminar fluid convection and heat transfer in inclined trapezoidal chambers of low aspect ratios

Abstract

Computational and experimental studies of the fluid motion and heat transfer characteristics of an incompressible fluid contained in an inclined trapezoidal chamber are described. Numerical experiments were performed to study the effects of Rayleigh number, Prandtl number, aspect ratios, side angles and orientation of the enclosure. The enclosure was rotated about the long axis in steps of 30° through 360°. The computational method uses a bodyfit mesh transformation technique couple with the use of false transient parameters for the steady state solution. The experimental method uses smoke for flow visualization studies with air of Prandtl number 0.7. For the chambers with aspect ratios of 3 and 6, the results indicate that the heat transfer and fluid motion within the chamber is a strong function of both the Rayleigh number and the chamber orientation angle. Additional study results are discussed.