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Numerical Heat Transfer,

Part A: Applications: An
International Journal
of Computation and
Methodology
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NUMERICAL STUDY
ON TRANSIENT HEAT
TRANSFER AND FLUID
FLOW OF NATURAL
CONVECTION IN AN
ENCLOSURE WITH A HEAT-
GENERATING CONDUCTING
BODY
Man Yeong Ha, Mi Jung Jung, Young Soo Kim

Version of record first published: 29 Oct 2010

To cite this article: Man Yeong Ha, Mi Jung Jung, Young Soo Kim (1999):
NUMERICAL STUDY ON TRANSIENT HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW OF
NATURAL CONVECTION IN AN ENCLOSURE WITH A HEAT-GENERATING
CONDUCTING BODY, Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications: An
International Journal of Computation and Methodology, 35:4, 415-433

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NUMERICAL STUDY ON TRANSIENT HEAT

TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW OF NATURAL
CONVECTION IN AN ENCLOSURE WITH A
HEAT-GENERATING CONDUCTING BODY

Man Yeong Ha, Mi Jung Jun g, and You ng Soo Kim

School of Mechan ical Engineering, Pusan Nation al Un iv ersity, San 30,
Jan gjeon-Dong, Kum jung-Ku , Pusan 609-735, Korea
Downloaded by [Pennsylvania State University] at 00:16 29 June 2012

A compreh ensiv e nu merical study h as been con ducted to in v estigate transient heat tran sfer
an d flow ph enomena of natural con v ection of three different fluids of sodium, air, and water
in a v ertical square enclosure within which a centered, squared, heat-conducting body
generates heat. The ph ysical model con sidered here is that a temperature difference exists
across th e enclosure ( right cold wall and left hot wall) all the time and th e body generates a
constant amount of h eat at an initial dimensionless time of t ( 0. At time t ) 0 the
amou nt of heat generated by the body is su ddenly increased to 10 times as large as that at
time t ( 0. Under this situation, the flow inside the enclosure is driv en by two temperature
differences: a temperature difference across the enclosu re an d a temperature difference
cau sed by the heat sou rce. A ratio of these two temperatures is a key parameter in this study.
We also con sider the effects of Prandtl number an d thermal condu ctiv ity ratio on the heat
transfer an d flow in the enclosu re. The un steady and two-dimensional gov erning equations
are written in a dimensionless form with dimensionless parameters that decide the heat
transfer and flow characteristics in this system. The an alysis proceeds by observ ing
v ariations of the streamlines an d isotherms with respect to the dimensionless time for
different Rayleigh nu mbers, temperatu re-difference ratios, Prandtl n umbers, and thermal
condu ctiv ity ratios. The v ariations of av erage Nusselt nu mbers on the hot and cold walls are
also presented with respect to the dimensionless time, to sh ow the transient behav ior of
ov erall heat transfer characteristics inside th e enclosure.

INTRODUCTION
An important class of natural conve ction he at transfe r is that re late d to
buoyancy-drive n flows moving in an e nclosure . The he at transfe r and flow charac -
teristics of natural conve ction in ve rtical rectangular e nclosures have attracte d
many re se arche rs owing to the many practical e ngine e ring applications, such as
building insulation, solar e ne rgy colle ction, cooling of he at-ge ne rating compone nts
in the e le ctrical and nucle ar industrie s, and flows in rooms due to the rmal e ne rgy
source s w 1, 2 x . B uoyancy-drive n flows in re ctangular e nclosures arise fre que ntly
owing to the horizontal te mpe rature gradie nt caused by he ating from the lowe st
surface or owing to the ve rtical tem pe rature gradie nt betwe e n two ve rtical surface s
he ld at diffe re nt te mpe rature s w 3 ] 9 x . The se studie s inve stigate the e ffe cts of
stabilizing and de stabilizing tem pe rature gradie nts, Grashof numbe rs, and aspe ct
ratio on natural conve ction in e nclosures. The e ffe ct of natural conve ction is

Receive d 3 August 1998; accepte d 29 Se ptem be r 1998.

Address corre spond e nce to Dr. Man Yeong Ha, De partm e nt of Theore tical and Applie d
Me chanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-C hampaign, Room 116 Talbot Laboratory, 104 S. W right
Stre et, Urbana , IL 61801, U SA .

415
 416 M. Y. HA ET AL.

NOMENCLATURE
U
are a ratio s s W r L .
2 2
A W length of the conducting body
Cp constant pressure spe cific he at x horizonta l coordinat e
g gravitational acceleration y vertical coordinat e
kf thermal conductivity of fluid a thermal diffusivity
ks thermal conductivity of solid b thermal expansion coefficient
U U
k thermal conductivity ratio D T temperature -differe nce ratio
s s ks r kf . w s s qW
Ç
2
r k f . r s TH y TC .x
L length of the enclosure h dime nsionl ess ve rtical coordinat e
Nu averaged Nusselt number u dime nsionl ess tem pe rature
P dime nsionle ss pressure n kine matic viscosity
Pr Prandtl number s s n r a . j dime nsionl ess horizonta l coordinat e
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qÇ he at gene ration pe r unit volum e r de nsity

Ra Rayle igh num be r s r C p .U he at capacity ratio
w s g b s TH y TC . L r n a x w s s r C p . f r s r C p . s .x
3

T te mpe rature t dime nsionl ess tim e

TC cold wall temperature
TH hot wall te mpe rature Su bscrip ts
t dime nsiona l tim e
u velocity in the horizontal dire ction C cold
u dime nsionle ss ve locity in the f fluid
horizonta l direction H hot
v velocity in the ve rtical direction max maxim um
v dime nsionle ss ve locity in the min minimum
vertical direction s solid

important during solidification and me lting proce sse s be cause the quality of grown
crystals de pe nds on the natural conve ction circulation in the liquid re gion w 10 x .
Conside rable rese arch has also bee n pe rforme d with various obstacle s place d
inside the e nclosure in the form of partitions or partial baffle s. This re search
re ve ale d that the se kinds of obstructions could change the characte ristics of flow
and he at transfe r in the e nclosure . Moreove r, H ouse e t al. w 11 x nume rically
e xamine d the e ffe ct of a ce ntere d, square d he at-conducting body on natural
conve ction in a ve rtical square e nclosure . The y found that he at transfe r across the
e nclosure may be e nhance d or de crease d by a body with a the rmal conductivity
ratio le ss than or large r than unity. O h e t al. w 12 x inve stigate d the ste ady natural
conve ction processe s whe n a te mpe rature diffe rence e xists across the e nclosure
and, at the sam e time , a conducting body ge ne rate s he at within the e nclosure.
Unde r this situation, the flow inside the e nclosure is drive n by two te mpe rature
diffe re nce s: a tem pe rature diffe re nce across the e nclosure and a te mpe rature
diffe re nce cause d by the he at source . A ratio of the se two te mpe rature diffe re nces
is a ve ry important factor to de cide the he at transfe r and flow characte ristics of the
e nclosure. The y inve stigate d the e ffe cts of Rayle igh numbe rs and te mpe rature -
diffe re nce ratio on variations of stre am line s, isothe rms, he at line s, and the ave r-
age Nusse lt numbe rs on the hot and cold walls.
The re has bee n little study done on the unste ady natural conve ction proce ss
whe n a te mpe rature diffe rence e xists across the e nclosure and, at the same time , a
conducting body ge ne rate s he at within the e nclosure. The am ount of he at ge ne r-
ate d in the conducting body of the e le ctrical or nucle ar e quipm e nt may be
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 417

increase d or de cre ase d, de pe nding on the ope rating conditions. Unde r the se
conditions, the natural conve ction in the e nclosure is an unste ady proce ss. The
purpose of this study is to inve stigate transie nt he at transfe r and flow phe nom e na
of natural conve ction of three diffe rent fluids of sodium, air, and wate r in a ve rtical
square e nclosure within which a ce ntere d, square d he at-conducting body ge ne rate s
he at. In orde r to inve stigate the unste ady natural conve ction in the e nclosure, the
tem pe rature diffe re nce ratio incre ase s 10 time s as large as an initial value of the
tem pe rature-diffe re nce ratio for diffe rent Rayle igh numbe rs Ra, Prandtl numbe rs
Pr, conductivity ratios, and he at capacity ratios. W e inve stigate d the flow and he at
transfe r characte ristics of the syste m by obse rving variations of stre am line s and
isothe rms as a function of dime nsionle ss tim e . W e also obtaine d the he at transfe r
by calculating the Nusse lt num ber Nu variations with re spe ct to the dime nsionle ss
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time for diffe re nt tem pe rature-diffe re nce ratios, Ra, Pr, and the rmal conductivity
ratio.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

A sche m atic of the syste m conside red he re is shown in Figure 1. The syste m
consists of a square e nclosure with side s of le ngth L, within which anothe r square
solid body with side s of le ngth W is ce nte re d and has a the rmal conductivity of k s
and a he at ge ne ration pe r unit volum e of q.Ç The le ft and right side walls are kept
at constant te mpe rature s of TH and TC , re spe ctive ly, and the bottom and top walls
are adiabatic. In this study, we assume that the flow within the e nclosure is
unste ady state and laminar, and radiation e ffe cts are take n to be ne gligible . The
fluid prope rtie s are also assume d to be constant, e xce pt for the de nsity in the
buoyancy te rm, which follows the B oussine sq approxim ation. The gravitational
acce le ration acts paralle l to the isothe rm al walls.

Figu re 1. Sche m a tic of the syste m .

 418 M. Y. HA ET AL.

ANALYSIS
The analysis is base d on the continuity, mome ntum, and e ne rgy e quations in
a dime nsionle ss form. The conse rvative form of the dime nsionle ss gove rning
e quations for the fluid can be e xpre sse d as

­ ­
s u. q s v. s 0 s 1.
­ j ­ h

­ u ­ ­ ­ ­ u ­ ­ u ­ P
­ t
q
­ j
s u u. q
­ h
s u v . s Pr
t / t / ­ j ­ j
q
­ h ­ h
y
­ j
s 2.
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­ v ­ ­ ­ ­ v ­ ­ v ­ P
­ t
q
­ j
s u v. q
­ h
s v v . s Pr
­ j t / t / ­ j
q
­ h ­ h
y
­ h
q Ra Pr u s 3.

­ u ­ ­ ­ ­ u ­ ­ u
­ t
q
­ j
s uu . q
­ h
s vu . s
t / t / ­ j ­ j
q
­ h ­ h
s 4.

For the solid body the e ne rgy e quation in a dim e nsionle ss form becom e s
U
­ u ­ ­ u ­ ­ u D T
­ t
s
q s r Cp.
U

b j t k
U

­ j
s

/ q s r Cp.
U

­ h t k
U

­ h
s

/ q s r Cp.
U
U
A
s 0 s 5.

The dime nsionle ss variable s used to m ake the gove rning e quations, E qs.
s 1 . ] s 5 ., are de fine d as

a t x y
t s 2 j s h s
L L L
s 6.
uL vl PL2 T y TC
us vs Ps u s
a a r a 2
TH y TC

For the boundary conditions the ve locitie s are se t to ze ro at all solid walls.
The te mpe rature boundary conditions and the conditions at the fluid-body inte r-
face are as follows:

at j s 0 : u s 1 s 7.

at j s 1 : u s 0 s 8.

­ u
at h s 0 and 1 : s 0 s 9.
­ h
1 y WrL 1 q WrL ­ u U
­ u s
at j s and : u s u s k s 10 .
­ j ­ j
s
2 2

1 y WrL 1 q WrL ­ u U
­ u s
at h s and : u s u s k s 11 .
­ h ­ h
s
2 2
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 419

As an initial condition s t ( 0 ., we assigne d the te mpe rature -diffe rence ratio

U
D T as D T 0 and calculate d the fluid flow and te mpe rature distribution in the
e nclosure using the above boundary conditions, E qs. s 7 . ] s 11 .. As t ) 0, we set
U
the tempe rature-diffe re nce ratio as D T s 10 D T 0 , which is 10 time s large r than
the value at the initial time of t ( 0.
The ave rage Nusse lt numbe rs of the hot and cold walls are calculate d base d
on the e nclosure le ngth and the rmal conductivity of the fluid and are e xpre sse d as
follows.

For the hot wall

1 ­ u
dh
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Nu h s y
H 0 ­ j j s0
s 12 .

For the cold wall

1 ­ u
dh
Nu C s
H 0 ­ j j s1
s 13 .

From the dime nsionle ss gove rning e quations, E qs. s 1 . ] s 5 ., we notice that
U U U U
the re are six dime nsionle ss parame ters w Ra, Pr, k , A D T , and s r C p . x that
gove rn the he at transfe r and flow characte ristics of transie nt natural conve ction in
the e nclosure with a he at-ge ne rating conducting body.

NUMERICAL PROCEDURE
The gove rning e quations are solve d nume rically by m e ans of a finite volum e
me thod. This approach allows for tre atm e nt of arbitrary ge ome trie s and avoids
proble ms with m e tric singularitie s usually associate d with a finite diffe re nce
me thod. To initiate , we first inte grate the diffe rential conse rvation e quations ove r
a finite volume V e nclose d by surface S. The volum e inte gral for the flux ve ctor is
conve rte d to a surface integral through the Gauss dive rge nce the ore m. The fluid
and body regions are solve d simultane ously by introducing a block parame ter,
which distinguishe s a body region from a fluid re gion, into discre tize d gove rning
e quations. Thus conve ction te rms are automatically turne d off in the body region,
and e ne rgy balance in the fluid-body interface is care fully set up to m ake sure that
the matching conditions of E qs. s 10 . and s 11 . are satisfie d. The conve rge nce of the
nume rical solution was monitore d by observing e ne rgy balance , e spe cially Nu on
both walls for e ve ry time ste p.
For the purpose of code validation, the natural conve ction proble m in an
e nclosure without a body was te ste d for the two case s of Ra s 10 3 and Ra s 10 5
using a grid size of 39 = 39 in the x and y dire ctions, re spe ctive ly. The grid is
stre tche d a little toward e ach wall to re solve the rapid variations of flow prope rtie s.
The grid syste m e mploye d for all calculations in this article is shown in Figure 2.
W e teste d all proble m s with a fine -grid syste m s 71 = 71 . to che ck grid inde pe n-
de nce on the num e rical solutions and obse rve d little diffe re nce betwe e n the
coarse - and fine -grid results. Anothe r proble m with a conducting body was also
 420 M. Y. HA ET AL.
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Figur e 2. G rid d istribution of co m pu ta-

tiona l d om a in .

solve d for the two the rmal conductivity ratios of 0.2 and 5.0 with Ra s 10 5 and
U
A s 0.25. The calculate d Nu for the test case s are com pare d with the benchm ark
value s by de V ahl Davis w 8 x and those obtaine d nume rically by House e t al. w 11 x . As
shown by O h e t al. w 12 x , the calculate d Nu have a good agre e m e nt with the value s
of H ouse e t al. w 11 x and de V ahl Davis w 6 x within le ss than 1% of e rror. The
stre am line s and isothe rms obtaine d from the prese nt calculation for the the rmal
U
conductivity ratio of 5.0 with Ra s 10 5 and A s 0.25 re pre se nt we ll the re sults
obtaine d by House e t al. w 11 x , as shown by O h e t al. w 12 x .

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

As me ntione d above , the re are six dim e nsionle ss param e ters that gove rn the
unste ady natural conve ction he at transfe r and flow of this syste m. In the pre sent
study the he at-ge ne rating conducting body is conside red to be surrounde d by thre e
diffe re nt fluids of sodium, air, and wate r in the e nclosure, giving diffe re nt value s of
U U
Pr, k , and s r C p . as shown in Table 1. Using the se diffe rent dime nsionle ss
U U
parame te rs, we can obse rve the e ffe cts of Pr, k , and s r C p . on the fluid flow and
U
he at transfe r in the e nclosure. The are a ratio A is ke pt constant as 0.25.
U U
For e ach fluid with Pr, k , and s r C p . give n in Table 1, we calculate the
case s shown in Table 2 using diffe re nt value s of R a and tem pe rature-diffe re nce
U
ratio D T . In orde r to inve stigate the unste ady fluid flow and he at transfe r in the
U U
e nclosure, D T at t ) 0 is 10 time s large r than the D T 0 at t ( 0 for Ra s 10 3
and 10 4 .

Tab le 1. V a lu e s of dim e n sionle ss para m e te rs P r, k , a nd s r C p .

U U

use d in the pre se nt stu dy

U
Flu id Pr k s r C p .U

Sod iu m 0.01 1 2 1 .7 1 0 .7 7 1
A ir 0.70 7 56 3 0 0 .0 0 07
W ate r 5.83 240 2 .5 2
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 421

Tab le 2. V alues of Rayleigh num be r and te mpe rature-differe nce

ratio use d in the pre se nt study
U U
Ra D T0 D T

10 3 1 0.25 2.5
2 0.5 5.0
3 2.5 25.0
4 5.0 50.0
10 4 5 0.25 2.5
6 0.5 5.0
7 2.5 25.0
8 5.0 50.0
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Figure 3 shows the typical patte rn of stre am line s for case 1 of Table 2 for
diffe re nt fluids of sodium, air, and wate r for Ra s 10 3. In this case the conducting
body ge ne rate s a sm all am ount of he at. Thus the stre am line s circulate in a
clockwise dire ction, mainly owing to the pre sence of hot and cold walls in the le ft
and right side s, showing a similar patte rn irre spe ctive of the type s of fluid
circulating in the e nclosure.
Figure 4 shows isothe rms as a function of dime nsionle ss tim e for case 1 of
Table 2 for diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r circulating in the e nclosure .
U U
The value s of Pr, k , and s r C p . are give n in Table 1. The u m ax and u m in repre sent
the maximum and m inim um dime nsionle ss te mpe rature in the e nclosure, re spe c-
tive ly, and t repre sents the dime nsionle ss time , which is a t r L2 . Thus the dime n-
sionle ss time t s 0.3 for sodium corre sponds to the dime nsional time t s 1.8 s.
Sim ilarly, t s 30 and 0.06 for air and wate r corre spond to t s 130.6 and 666.8 s,
re spe ctive ly, showing how the fluid in the e nclosure responds to the change of a
he at-ge ne rating conducting body. For the case of sodium liquid me tal, the the rmal
conductivity of the conducting body has almost the same orde r as that of fluid
circulating in the e nclosure, and the tem pe rature gradie nt of the conducting body
is sim ilar to that of circulating fluid. But for the case of air and wate r, the the rmal
conductivity of the conducting body is ve ry large com pare d to that of a circulating
fluid, giving almost constant tempe rature in the conducting body, which varie s as a
function of time . B e cause of this diffe re nce in the the rmal conductivity of fluids
circulating in the e nclosure , the sodium liquid me tal responds ve ry quickly to

Figu re 3. Stre am lines of sodium , air, and water for case 1 in Table 2.
 422 M. Y. HA ET AL.

U
change s in D T and re ache s a ne w ste ady state ve ry fast, compare d to the case s of
air and wate r. At an initial time of t s 0, owing to the prese nce of a small fluid
flow circulating in the clockwise dire ction for Ra s 10 3 , the isothe rms at the uppe r
part le an ve ry slightly to the cold wall, and those at the lowe r part to the hot wall,
appe aring to be diagonally symme trical. Howe ve r, be cause the fluid flow is ve ry
small, the ge ne ral shape of the isothe rm s appe ars to be ne arly paralle l to the hot
and cold walls, showing ne ar conduction dom inance in the he at transfe r. As t ) 0,
U
D T is incre ase d to 2.5, which is 10 time s large r than that at t ( 0, as shown in
Table 2. As time goe s by, the he at ge ne rate d by the body is transfe rre d to the fluid,
and the fluid carrie s it to the cold wall. For the case of sodium and wate r the
gradie nt of isothe rms at the le ft channe l be come s lowe r and that at the right
channe l be come s de nser. But for the case of air, be cause the the rm al conductivity
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U
is ve ry small, the fluid responds ve ry slowly to the change of D T , showing ve ry
slight change in isothe rm s at t s 30 compare d to those at t s 0.
Figure s 5 and 6 show stre am line s and isothe rms for case 4 of Table 2 for
diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r. The te mpe rature -diffe rence ratio of case
4 is 20 time s as large as that of case 1, ge ne rating a large r am ount of he at and
giving diffe rent shape s to the stre am line s and isothe rm s. W he n t s 0, for the case

Figu re 4. V ariations of isotherm s of sodium , air, and wate r as a function of dimensionless time for case
1 in Table 2.
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 423
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Figu re 5. V ariations of stre am line s of sodium , air, and water as a functio n of dim ensionless time for
case 4 in Table 2.

of sodium liquid me tal and wate r, the fluid te mpe rature at the le ft channe l
be come s slightly highe r than the hot wall te mpe rature with a lowe r gradie nt, while
the fluid tem pe rature at the right channe l is low with a de nse gradie nt. For the
case of air, be cause the the rmal conductivity of air is much smalle r than that of
sodium and wate r, the te mpe rature in the e nclosure is lowe r than the hot wall
tem pe rature with a low gradie nt at the le ft channe l and a de nse gradie nt at the
right channe l. Thus the stre am line s at t s 0 for case 4 ge ne rally show a shape
similar to that of case 1, which circulate s in the clockwise dire ction for Ra s 10 3 ,
be cause the conve ctive flow and he at transfe r is mainly gove rne d by the te mpe ra-
ture diffe rence betwe e n the hot and cold wall and slightly affe cte d by the te mpe ra-
ture diffe re nce caused by he at ge ne ration. As time goe s by, the te mpe rature in the
e nclosure incre ase s due to the he at ge ne rate d by the body, giving a large r
tem pe rature than the hot wall tempe rature. The e ffe cts of the ge ne rate d he at act
diffe re ntly for the flows passing the le ft side channe l betwe e n the hot wall and the
body, and the right side channe l be twe e n the cold wall and the body. At the le ft
channe l, he at is transfe rre d to the fluid, which is be ing he ate d and is m oving
upward. The flow ne ar the body acce le rate s upward, while the flow ne ar the hot
wall de ce le rate s, forming counte rclockwise vortice s in the le ft half ce ll of the right
 424 M. Y. HA ET AL.
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Figu re 6. V ariations of isotherm s of sodium , air, and wate r as a function of dimensionless time for case
4 in Table 2.

channe l. As time goe s by, the size of the se counterclockwise vortice s in the le ft
channe l be come s large r and occupie s the large r part of the half ce ll of the le ft
channe l. Howe ve r, at the right side channe l, he at is transfe rre d to the fluid, which
is in a cooling proce ss and is moving downward. The re fore the he ate d flow ne xt to
the body change s the flow dire ction and move s upward, starting to form a
re circulating zone in the clockwise dire ction in the le ft half ce ll of the right
channe l. The se clockwise vortice s be come large r as time goe s by. As shown in
Figure 5, the main flow at t s 0 circulate s m ainly in the clockwise dire ction and
occupie s the e ntire domain in the e nclosure. Howe ve r, as time goe s by, the m ain
flow occupie s the top and bottom channe ls and the right half ce ll in the right and
le ft channe ls with incre asing counte rclockwise and clockwise vortice s in the le ft ce ll
of the le ft and right channe l, re spe ctive ly. As time goe s by, the tempe rature in the
le ft channe l incre ase s more rapidly compare d to that in the right channe l, so the
point of the m aximum te mpe rature move s to the body.
For the case of sodium, because the the rmal conductivity is ve ry large , the
isothe rms of sodium liquid me tal in the e nclosure respond ve ry quickly to the
change of the conducting body, giving a large r te mpe rature in the e nclosure
compare d to air and wate r. The isothe rm s for the case of sodium at t s 0.3 appe ar
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 425

to be alm ost diagonally symme trical, not only in shape but also for the value s
the mse lve s. Thus the stre am line s and isothe rm s for sodium at t s 0.3 are slightly
affe cte d by the fluid flow with the te mpe rature diffe re nce betwe e n hot and cold
walls for Ra s 10 3 , but are ve ry close to the typical flow and tem pe rature patte rn
with the te mpe rature diffe rence caused by the he at source only. The te mpe rature
for the case of air is smalle r com pare d to that of sodium due to the small the rmal
conductivity of air. Thus the stre am line s and isothe rm s of air at t s 30 are affe cte d
by both the te mpe rature diffe rence be twe e n the hot and cold walls and that caused
by the he at ge ne ration. The isothe rms and stre am line s for the case of wate r follow
a similar tre nd to the case of sodium. The shape of the isothe rms for wate r at
t s 0.06 appe ars to be almost diagonally symm e trical, but the value s the m se lve s
are not e xactly diagonally symme trical due to the small e ffe cts of te mpe rature
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diffe re nce be twe e n the hot and cold walls. The te mpe rature in the e nclosure for
wate r is lowe r and large r than that of sodium and air, due to lowe r and large r
the rmal conductivity of wate r compare d to that of sodium and air.
Figure 7 shows a typical patte rn of stre am line s for case 5 of Table 2 for
diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r for Ra s 10 4 . Ra incre ase s from 10 3 in
case 1 to 10 4 in case 5. The natural conve ctive flow patte rn in the e nclosure for
case 5 is mainly gove rne d by the tempe rature diffe re nce be twe e n the hot and cold
wall te mpe rature s and is slightly affe cte d by the he at ge ne ration from the conduct-
ing body, showing smoothly circulating flow m ainly in the clockwise dire ction. For
the case of air and wate r, the stre am line s for Ra s 10 4 in case 5 show a patte rn
similar to those for Ra s 10 3 in case 1 with incre asing ve locity with incre asing Ra.
For the case of sodium , we can obse rve the vortice s in both the four corne rs of the
e nclosure and the four corne r surface s on the conducting body due to the
combine d e ffe ct of increasing magnitude of ve locity with increasing Ra and quick
the rmal response of the e nclosure with incre asing the rm al conductivity of the
sodium fluid compare d to air and wate r.
Figure 8 shows isothe rms as a function of dime nsionle ss tim e for case 5 of
Table 2 for diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r circulating in the e nclosure ,
U
whe n D T incre ase s from 0.25 at t ( 0 to 2.5 at t ) 0. W he n t s 0 and Ra s 10 3
in case 1, the main he at transfe r mode is almost conduction. Thus the isothe rms
are almost paralle l to the hot and cold walls, and the he at flows almost paralle l to
the top and bottom adiabatic walls. He at line s are de fine d as the normal to the
isothe rms. H owe ve r, whe n Ra is incre ase d to 10 4 , the isothe rms move in the

Figu re 7. Stre am lines of sodium , air, and water for case 5 in Table 2.
 426 M. Y. HA ET AL.
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Figu re 8. V ariations of isotherm s of sodium , air, and wate r as a function of dimensionless time for case
5 in Table 2.

clockwise dire ction with incre asing circulating flow, giving a de nse gradie nt around
the right top and le ft bottom corne r. Thus the he at line s coming from the hot wall
move upward in the le ft channe l, cross the top channe l or the body in the diagonal
dire ction from the top corne r to the bottom corne r of the body, and finally pass
through the cold wall. The he at line s around the bottom corne r in the le ft side of
the body circulate in the clockwise dire ction. Thus, whe n t s 0, the isothe rms and
he at flow for Ra s 10 4 show diffe rent characte ristics compare d with those for
Ra s 10 3. B e cause of the diffe re nce s in the the rmal conductivity of sodium , air,
and wate r, the isothe rms in the e nclosure show similar diffe re nce s compare d to
case 1. The isothe rms of sodium have the large st value s, and those of air the
lowe st. The te mpe rature in the conducting body for the case of air and wate r is
almost constant in space and varie s as a function of time , whe reas the gradie nt of
isothe rms in the body for the case of sodium has almost the same orde r as the
circulating fluid. For the case of sodium and wate r the e ffe ct of te mpe rature
diffe re nce caused by he at ge ne ration in the body is large r than that of air be cause
more he at is transfe rre d from the body to the fluid due to large r the rmal
U
conductivity com pare d to air. Thus, as tim e goe s by, with increasing D T from 0.25
at t s 0 to 2.5 at t ) 0, the isothe rms for sodium and wate r circulate furthe r in the
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 427

clockwise dire ction, giving a de nse r gradie nt in the right channe l, e spe cially in the
right top corne r, and a lowe r gradie nt at the le ft and bottom channe ls. The
tem pe rature in the le ft top corne r for sodium and wate r is ve ry close to the hot
wall te mpe rature . For the case of air, the fluid responds ve ry slowly to change s in
U
D T , and the isothe rms circulate ve ry slowly in the clockwise dire ction due to the
small e ffe ct of tempe rature diffe rence cause d by he at ge ne ration in the body. Thus
the isothe rm s at t s 30 are slightly diffe re nt from those at t s 0. The isothe rms
for Ra s 10 4 ge ne rally show an asym me tric shape , compare d to the symm e tric
shape for Ra s 10 3 across the horizontal line .
Figure s 9 and 10 show stre am line s and isothe rms for case 8 of Table 2 for
U
diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r whe n D T incre ase s from 5 at t ( 0 to 50
at t ) 0. Ra incre ase s from 10 in case 4 to 10 in case 8. The stre am line s for
3 4
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Ra s 10 4 in case 8 are similar to those for Ra s 10 3 in case 4. The flow at t s 0

circulate s in the clockwise dire ction. As time goe s by, the re is growth in both the
counterclockwise vortice s in the le ft half ce ll of the le ft channe l and in the
clockwise vortice s in the le ft half ce ll of the right channe l within the main flow
circulating in the clockwise dire ction. The ge ne ral shape of stre am line s for Ra s 10 4
is similar to that for Ra s 10 3 , but the size of the counte rclockwise vortice s in the

Figu re 9. V ariations of stre am line s of sodium , air, and water as a functio n of dim ensionless time for
case 8 in Table 2.
 428 M. Y. HA ET AL.
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Figu re 10. V ariations of isothe rms of sodium , air, and wate r as a function of dim ensionless time for
case 8 in Table 2.

le ft half ce ll of the le ft channe l and clockwise vortice s in the le ft half ce ll of the

right channe l for R a s 10 4 is large r than those for Ra s 10 3 due to the incre ase d
flow with incre asing Ra. W e can also obse rve the diffe re nce in the shape of
vortice s for diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r for Ra s 10 4 , similar to the
case of Ra s 10 3. At t s 0 the isothe rms for Ra s 10 4 rotate in the clockwise
dire ction due to the flow circulating in the clockwise dire ction, giving the asymm e t-
ric te mpe rature shape com pare d to the symme tric one for Ra s 10 3 s case 4 . across
the horizontal line s. The fluid te mpe rature at the le ft channe l for sodium and
wate r is large r than the hot wall tem pe rature, but the fluid tempe rature at the le ft
channe l for air is smalle r than the hot wall tempe rature due to the small the rmal
U
conductivity of air. As time goe s by, afte r D T incre ase s from 5 to 50, the
tem pe rature on the right side of the e nclosure incre ase s faste r than that at the le ft
side . For the case of sodium, the point of the maximum tem pe rature of the body
move s from the le ft side to the ce nterline of the body and is locate d at the slightly
uppe r part of the body. Thus the isothe rms for the case of sodium for Ra s 10 4
approach the symme trical shape across the ve rtical ce nterline , com pare d to the
diagonally symme trical shape for case 4 of Ra s 10 3. For the case of wate r,
be cause the te mpe rature of a conducting body is alm ost constant, isothe rms
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 429
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Figu re 11. V ariations of average Nusselt numbe r at the hot wall as a

function of dim ensionless tim e.

approach a diagonally symme trical shape similar to the case 4 of Ra s 10 3. For the
case of air, the isothe rms have low value s compare d to those of sodium and air,
and continue to rotate in the clockwise dire ction with a de nse r gradie nt in the le ft
channe l and a lowe r gradie nt in the right channe l.
Figure 11 shows the ave rage Nu at the hot wall, Nu H , as a function of time
for diffe re nt fluids of sodium , air, and wate r in the e nclosure for the case s give n in
Table 2. As shown in the isothe rms of Figures 4, 6, 8, and 10, the fluid te mpe rature
increase s with incre asing the rm al conductivity of fluids in the e nclosure. Thus, for
case s 1 ] 6 the tempe rature gradie nt at the hot wall at t s 0 incre ase s with
de cre asing the rmal conductivity, giving incre asing Nu H w se e E q. s 12 .x in the
se que nce of sodium, wate r, and air. Nu H of case s 3 and 6 for sodium at t s 0 is
close to ze ro, me aning that the ne t he at transfe r through the hot wall be come s
ze ro. As shown in Figure 11 for case s 4 and 8 for air at t s 0, the isothe rms close
to the hot wall are still le ss than the hot wall tem pe rature , giving positive Nu H at
t s 0. For case s 4 and 8 of wate r at t s 0, the isothe rms close to the hot wall
approach the hot wall te mpe rature , giving alm ost a ze ro value of Nu H . For case s 4
and 8 of sodium at t s 0, Nu H has ne gative value s, me aning that the fluid
tem pe rature close to the hot wall is large r than the hot wall te mpe rature and the
ne t he at flow at the hot wall change s its dire ction from the e nclosure to the hot
 430 M. Y. HA ET AL.

wall. A s time goe s by, Nu H de cre ase s, m e aning that the he at flow from the hot wall
to the cold wall de cre ase s and the he at flow from the e nclosure to the hot wall
increase s. For case s 1 and 5 and case s 2 and 6 of sodium, air, and wate r, Nu H
de cre ase s as time goe s by and approache s ze ro with positive value s, me aning that
the he at flow from the hot wall to the cold wall de crease s. For case s 3 and 7 and
case s 4 and 8 of air, Nu H de cre ase s from a positive value at t s 0, become s ze ro at
a ce rtain dim e nsionle ss time of t 0 , and ke e ps de cre asing with ne gative value s as
time goe s by. This me ans that the he at flow from the hot wall to the cold wall
de cre ase s be twe e n t s 0 and t s t 0 , the ne t he at transfe r through the hot wall
be come s ze ro at t s t 0 , and the ne t he at flow at the hot wall change s its dire ction
from the e nclosure to the hot wall with incre asing m agnitude as t ) t 0 . The n t 0
U
de cre ase s with increasing D T due to the incre ase d e ffe ct of the te mpe rature
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diffe re nce caused by he at ge ne ration of the conducting body for case s 3 and 7 and
case s 4 and 8 of air. Nu H for case s 3 and 7 of wate r follows a tre nd similar to that
of case s 3 and 7 and case s 4 and 8 of air. Nu H for case s 4 and 8 of wate r has
ne gative value s with incre asing absolute value s as time goe s by, m e aning that the
ne t he at flow at the hot wall trave ls from the e nclosure to the hot wall with
increasing magnitude due to incre ase d e ffe cts of tem pe rature diffe rence caused by
he at ge ne ration as tim e goe s by. For case s 3 and 7 and case s 4 and 8 of sodium, the
variation of Nu H is similar to that for case s 4 and 8 of wate r. W he n the conve ctive
he at transfe r is drive n mainly by the te mpe rature diffe re nce cause d by the he at
source , sodium has the large st and air the smalle st ne gative value of Nu H for the
U U
sam e D T be cause the syste m re sponds ve ry quickly to change s in D T and the
tem pe rature diffe re nce be twe e n the fluid in the e nclosure and the hot wall
increase s with increasing the rm al conductivity. This is opposite to the case whe n
conve ctive he at transfe r is gove rne d mainly by the te mpe rature diffe re nce be twe e n
the hot and cold wall at t s 0.
Figure 12 shows the ave rage Nusse lt num ber at the cold wall, Nu C , as a
function of time for diffe rent fluids of sodium , air, and wate r in the e nclosure for
case s give n in Table 2. Nu C incre ase s with incre asing t , m e aning that the he at flow
from the e nclosure to the cold wall increase s as time goe s by. As me ntione d above ,
tem pe rature in the e nclosure incre ase s with incre asing the rmal conductivity, giving
an increasing te mpe rature diffe re nce betwe e n the fluid and the cold wall te mpe ra-
ture. Thus Nu C always incre ase s in the se que nce of air, wate r, and sodium for the
U
sam e D T . Nu H and Nu C for Ra s 10 4 are large r than those for Ra s 10 3 for the
U
sam e D T due to incre asing conve ctive he at transfe r with increasing Ra. The
U
re lative diffe rence in Nu H for the same D T but for diffe re nt Rayle igh numbe rs
U
of Ra s 10 and 10 de cre ase s with incre asing D T due to incre ase d e ffe cts of
3 4

tem pe rature diffe re nce caused by he at ge ne ration. Howe ve r, the relative diffe re nce
U
in Nu C maintains its le ve l with increasing D T be cause the fluid flow dire ction is
the sam e as the he at flow dire ction.
Figure 13 shows the ratio of ave rage Nu at the hot and cold walls, Nu H r Nu C ,
as a function of the dime nsionle ss time for Ra s 10 3 and 10 4 . Nu H r Nu C s 1
me ans that all the he at flows from the hot wall dire ctly to the cold wall, Nu H r
Nu C s 0 represe nts no ne t he at transfe r through the hot wall, and Nu H r Nu C s
y 1 me ans that the he at ge ne rate d by the body is transfe rre d out through the hot
U
and cold walls in e qual am ounts. W he n D T is sm all, Nu H r Nu C de cre ase s
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 431
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Figu re 12. V ariations of ave rage Nusselt num be r at the cold wall as a
function of dim ensionless tim e.

gradually as time goe s by and approache s ste ady state with a positive value ,
showing that the conve ctive he at transfe r and fluid flow in the e nclosure are m ainly
gove rne d by the tempe rature diffe re nce be twe e n the hot and cold wall and are
U
slightly affe cte d by he at ge ne ration. W ith incre asing D T , the e ffe cts of the
tem pe rature diffe rence caused by he at ge ne ration incre ase . Thus, as time goe s by,
U
Nu H r Nu C de cre ase s ve ry rapidly and approache s y 1 with incre asing D T . W he n
the the rmal conductivity of the fluid incre ase s, Nu H r Nu C quickly approache s y 1
U
with incre asing D T .

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

1. The pre se nt study inve stigate s variations of stre am line s and isothe rms as a
function of dime nsionle ss time for diffe rent value s of te mpe rature -
U
diffe re nce ratio D T , Rayle igh num ber, Prandtl num ber, and the rmal
U
conductivity ratio whe n the D T is incre ase d sudde nly to 10 time s as large
as an initial value . The tem pe rature in the e nclosure and Nu C at the cold
wall incre ase with time and approach the ne w ste ady state for the sudde nly
U
increase d D T . Nu H at the hot wall de cre ase s from a positive or ne gative
 432 M. Y. HA ET AL.
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Figu re 13. V ariations of ave rage Nusselt numbe r ratio as a function of

dim ensionless time.

U
value at an initial time , de pe nding on the initial D T as tim e goe s by and
approache s the ne w ste ady state .
U
2. W he n D T has a small value , the he at transfe r and flow in the e nclosure
during the transie nt proce ss maintain the ir natural conve ctive mode , which
is gove rne d by the tempe rature diffe re nce be twe e n the hot and cold wall.
U
B ut whe n D T has a large value , the m ode of transie nt he at transfe r and
flow is change d from the natural conve ction gove rne d by the te mpe rature
diffe re nce be twe e n the hot and cold wall to that cause d by he at ge ne ra-
tion.
3. W ith incre asing the rmal conductivity ratio, the syste m in the e nclosure
re sponds to the change of the conducting body more slowly due to
de cre asing the rm al conductivity of fluid. Thus the te mpe rature in the
e nclosure, Nu H s in the ne gative value ., and Nu C de crease with increasing
U
the rm al conductivity ratio for the same D T .
4. Fluid flow in the e nclosure incre ase s with incre asing Ra, incre asing the
conve ctive he at transfe r rate at the cold and hot wall. The shape of
transie nt stre am line s and isothe rms in the e nclosure is influe nce d by
diffe re nt Ra.
 NATURAL CONVECTIO N IN AN ENCLOSURE 433

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3. K. E. Torrance and J. A. Rockett, Numerical Study of Natural Convection in an
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