Open Access

ARTICLE

Numerical Study of Convective Heat Transfer in a Horizontal Channel

M. El Alami¹, E. A. Semma^2,3, M. Najam¹, R. Boutarfa²

1 Groupe de thermique, Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Hassan II Ain Chock, BP. 5366 Maarif, Casablanca, Morocco; Phone: 212 22 23 06 80; Fax: 212 22 23 06 74m. elalami@fsac.ac.ma, mnejam@yahoo.fr
2 Corresponding author
3 Laboratoire de Mécanique, Université Hassan 1^er, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, BP. 577 Settat, Morocco, semmaalam@yahoo.fr

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2009, 5(1), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.3970/fdmp.2009.005.023

Abstract

This study is devoted to the investigation of natural convection in a two dimensional horizontal channel with rectangular heated blocks at the bottom. The aspect ratio of the channel is A = L'/H' = 5. The blocks are heated with a constant temperature while the upper plane of the channel is cold. The governing equations are solved using a finite volumes method and the SIMPLEC algorithm is used for the treatment of the pressure-velocity coupling. Special emphasis is given to detail the effect of the Rayleigh number and blocks height on the heat transfer and the mass flow rate generated by natural convection. Results are given for the following values of control parameters: Rayleigh number (5×10³ ≤ Ra ≤ 7×10⁵), Prandtl number Pr=0.71, opening width (C = l'/H' = 0.15), blocks gap (D = d'/H' = 0.5) and blocks height (B = h'/H = 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8).

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Keywords

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