A Numerical Study on Entropy Generation in Two-Dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard Convection at Different Prandtl Number

Abstract

Entropy generation in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection at different Prandtl number (Pr) are investigated in the present paper by using the lattice Boltzmann Method. The major concern of the present paper is to explore the effects of Pr on the detailed information of local distributions of entropy generation in virtue of frictional and heat transfer irreversibility and the overall entropy generation in the whole flow field. The results of this work indicate that the significant viscous entropy generation rates (Su) gradually expand to bulk contributions of cavity with the increase of Pr, thermal entropy generation rates (Sθ) and total entropy generation rates (S) mainly concentrate in the steepest temperature gradient, the entropy generation in the flow is dominated by heat transfer irreversibility and for the same Rayleigh number, the amplitudes of Su, Sθ and S decrease with increasing Pr. It is found that that the amplitudes of the horizontally averaged viscous entropy generation rates, thermal entropy generation rates and total entropy generation rates decrease with increasing Pr. The probability density functions of Su, Sθ and S also indicate that a much thinner tail while the tails for large entropy generation values seem to fit the log-normal curve well with increasing Pr. The distribution and the departure from log-normality become robust with decreasing Pr.