Computational analysis of natural convection in a parallelogrammic cavity with a hot concentric circular cylinder moving at different vertical locations

Abstract

A finite volume numerical simulation of natural convection in a parallelogrammic air-filled cavity having a heated concentric circular cylinder is performed. The left and right sidewalls of the cavity are maintained at a uniform cold temperature, while both upper and lower walls of it are considered thermally insulated. A wide range of significant parameters such as Rayleigh number, inclination angle and cylinder vertical locations are considered in the present study. Comparison with previously published works is made and found to be an excellent agreement. The results show that the strength of the flow circulation and the thickness of thermal boundary layer around the hot circular cylinder are increased dramatically when the Rayleigh number increases. Also, to increase the flow circulation inside the parallelogrammic cavity, it is recommended to make the inner cylinder moves downward until it reaches to [δ=−0.2] and the parallelogrammic cavity sidewalls inclined to [Φ =15°]. Moreover, it is found that for various values of the inclination angle, the average Nusselt numbers at inner cylinder surface and at both cavity sidewalls, decrease when the cylinder moves upward, while they increase when the cylinder moves downward.