Suvash C. Saha

Scaling of Natural Convection of an Inclined Flat Plate: Sudden Cooling Condition

A scaling analysis is performed for the transient boundary layer established adjacent to an inclined flat plate following a ramp cooling boundary condition. The imposed wall temperature decreases linearly up to a specific value over a specific time. It is revealed that if the ramp time is sufficiently large then the boundary layer reaches quasi-steady mode before the growth of the temperature is finished. However, if the ramp time is shorter then the steady state of the boundary layer may be reached after the growth of the temperature is completed. In this case, the ultimate steady state is the same as if the start up had been instantaneous. Note that the cold boundary layer adjacent to the plate is potentially unstable to Rayleigh-Benard instability if the Rayleigh number exceeds a certain critical value for this cooling case. The onset of instability may set in at different stages of the boundary layer development. A proper identification of the time when the instability may set in is discussed. A numerical verification of the time for the onset of instability is presented in this study. Different flow regimes based on the stability of the boundary layer have also been discussed with numerical results.

Natural Convection Flow with Surface Radiation Along a Vertical Wavy Surface

In this study, natural convection boundary layer flow of thermally radiating fluid along a heated vertical wavy surface is analyzed. Here, the radiative component of heat flux emulates the surface temperature. Governing equations are reduced to dimensionless form, subject to the appropriate transformation. Resulting dimensionless equations are transformed to a set of parabolic partial differential equations by using primitive variable formulation, which are then integrated numerically via iterative finite difference scheme. Emphasis has been given to low Prandtl number fluid. The numerical results obtained for the physical parameters, such as, surface radiation parameter, R, and radiative length parameter, ξ, are discussed in terms of local skin friction and Nusselt number coefficients. Comprehensive interpretation of velocity distribution is also given in the form of streamlines.

Two-phase natural convection flow of a dusty fluid

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct a detailed investigation of the two-dimensional natural convection flow of a dusty fluid. Therefore, the incompressible boundary layer flow of a two-phase particulate suspension is investigated numerically over a semi-infinite vertical flat plate. Comprehensive flow formations of the gas and particle phases are given in the boundary layer region. Primitive variable formulation is employed to convert the nondimensional governing equations into the non-conserved form. Three important two-phase mechanisms are discussed, namely, water-metal mixture, oil-metal mixture and air-metal mixture. Design/methodology/approach – The full coupled nonlinear system of equations is solved using implicit two point finite difference method along the whole length of the plate. Findings – The authors have presented numerical solution of the dusty boundary layer problem. Solutions obtained are depicted through the characteristic quantities, such as, wall shear stress coefficient...

Conduction-radiation effect on natural convection flow in fluid-saturated non-Darcy porous medium enclosed by non-isothermal walls

The combined effect of conduction-convection-radiation on natural convection flow of an optically thick Newtonian fluid with gray radiant properties, confined in a porous media square cavity with Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer drag is studied numerically. For a gray fluid, Rosseland diffusion approximation is considered. It is assumed that (i) the temperature of the left vertical wall varies linearly with height, (ii) the right vertical and top walls are at a lower temperature, and (iii) the bottom wall is uniformly-heated. The governing equations are solved using the alternate direct implicit method together with the successive over relaxation technique. The investigation of the effect of governing parameters, namely, the Forschheimer resistance (Γ), the temperature difference (Δ), and the Plank number (Rd), on the flow pattern and heat transfer characteristics is carried out. It can be seen that the reduction of flow and heat transfer occur as the Forschheimer resistance is increased. On the other hand, both the flow strength and heat transfer increase as the temperature ratio Δ is increased.

Scaling Analysis of the Unsteady Natural Convection Boundary Layer Adjacent to an Inclined Plate for Pr > 1 Following Instantaneous Heating

The unsteady natural convection boundary layer adjacent to an instantaneously heated inclined plate is investigated using an improved scaling analysis and direct numerical simulations. The development of the unsteady natural convection boundary layer following instantaneous heating may be classified into three distinct stages including a start-up stage, a transitional stage and a steady state stage, which can be clearly identified in the analytical and numerical results. Major scaling relations of the velocity and thicknesses and the flow development time of the natural convection boundary layer are obtained using triple-layer integral solutions and verified by direct numerical simulations over a wide range of flow parameters.

Unsteady Natural Convection Within a Porous Enclosure of Sinusoidal Corrugated Side Walls

Numerically investigation of free convection within a porous cavity with differential heating has been performed using modified corrugated side walls. Sinusoidal hot left and cold right walls are assumed to receive sudden differentially heating where top and bottom walls are insulated. Air is considered as working fluid and is quiescent, initially. Numerical experiments reveal 3 distinct stages of developing pattern including initial stage, oscillatory intermediate, and finally steady-state condition. Implicit Finite Volume Method with TDMA solver is used to solve the governing equations. This study has been performed for the Rayleigh numbers ranging from 100 to 10,000. Outcomes have been reported in terms of isotherms, streamline, velocity and temperature plots and average Nusselt number for various Ra, corrugation frequency, and corrugation amplitude (CA). The effects of sudden differential heating and its resultant transient behavior on fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics have been shown for the range of governing parameters. The present results show that the transient phenomena are enormously influenced by the variation of the Rayleigh Number with CA and frequency.

Effect of MHD and heat generation on natural convection flow in an open square cavity under microgravity condition

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to numerically study thermo‐magnetic convection and heat transfer of paramagnetic fluid placed in a micro‐gravity condition (g≈0) and under a uniform vertical gradient magnetic field in an open square cavity with three cold sidewalls.Design/methodology/approach – This magnetic force is proportional to the magnetic susceptibility and the gradient of the square of the magnetic induction. The magnetic susceptibility is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature based on Curies law. Thermal convection of a paramagnetic fluid can therefore take place even in a zero‐gravity environment as a direct consequence of temperature differences occurring within the fluid due to a constant internal heat generation placed within a magnetic field gradient.Findings – Effects of magnetic Rayleigh number, γRa, Prandtl number, Pr, and paramagnetic fluid parameter, m, on the flow pattern and isotherms as well as on the heat absorption are presented graphically. It is found that th...

MHD natural convection flow from an isothermal horizontal circular cylinder under consideration of temperature dependent viscosity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss, with numerical simulations, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) natural convection laminar flow from an isothermal horizontal circular cylinder immersed in a fluid with viscosity proportional to a linear function of temperature.Design/methodology/approach – The governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a non‐dimensional form and the resulting nonlinear system of partial differential equations are reduced to convenient form, which are solved numerically by two very efficient methods: implicit finite difference method together with Keller box scheme; and direct numerical scheme.Findings – Numerical results are presented by velocity and temperature distributions of the fluid as well as heat transfer characteristics, namely the shearing stress and the local heat transfer rate in terms of the local skin‐friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number for a wide range of MHD parameter, viscosity‐variation parameter and viscous dissipation parameter.Origin...

Natural convection from a vertical plate embedded in a stratified medium with uniform heat source

Natural convection flow from an isothermal vertical plate with uniform heat source embedded in a stratified medium has been discussed in this paper. The resulting momentum and energy equations of boundary layer approximation are made non-similar by introducing the usual non-similarity transformations. Numerical solutions of these equations are obtained by an implicit finite difference method for a wide range of the stratification parameter, X. The solutions are also obtained for different values of pertinent parameters, namely, the Prandtl number, Pr and the heat generation or absorption parameter, λ and are expressed in terms of the local skin-friction and local heat transfer, which are shown in the graphical form. Effect of heat generation or absorption on the streamlines and isotherms are also shown graphically for different values of λ.

Heat Transfer Analysis of Viscous Incompressible Fluid by Combined Natural Convection and Radiation in an Open Cavity

The effect of radiation on natural convection of Newtonian fluid contained in an open cavity is investigated in this study. The governing partial differential equations are solved numerically using the Alternate Direct Implicit method together with the Successive Over Relaxation method. The study is focused on studying the flow pattern and the convective and radiative heat transfer rates are studied for different values of radiation parameters namely, the optical thickness of the fluid, scattering albedo, and the Planck number. It was found that in the optically thin limit, an increase in the optical thickness of the fluid raises the temperature and radiation heat transfer of the fluid. However, a further increase in the optical thickness decreases the radiative heat transfer rate due to increase in the energy level of the fluid, which ultimately reduces the total heat transfer rate within the fluid.