Effect of the isothermal fins on the natural convection heat transfer and flow profile inside a vertical channel with isothermal parallel walls

Abstract

This paper presents current study on a natural laminar convection flow in vertical plane of open on both ends parallel channel bounded by isothermal walls having the same temperature. An isothermal fins are mounted inside the channel in its walls and located in the middle of the channel face to face also. A numerical investigation has been performed at different parameters of Raleigh number of Ra = 5 × 103:5 × 106, fin length l/W = 0:0.1:0.2:0.3:0.4, fin angle θ = 0°:7°:15°:22°:30°, and − 30°, and staggered fins of 0, h/3, 2 h/3. The effect of these parameters on the flow structure, velocity distribution, temperature field, local and overall heat transfer coefficient are potted at the mid width and different height along the channel in this work. The numerical analysis have conducted using finite volume integrated proposed by CFDRC depending on the governing equations of mass, momentum, and energy conservation and dimensionless group of heat transfer is used in investigation with a control volume.