Experimental study and mathematical simulation of the mixed convection in a rectangular area with a local heat source and the heat sink at the external boundaries

Abstract

The results of the experimental determination of temperatures and numerical simulation of temperature fields in a mixed convection in a rectangular area with a heat-conducting walls at a local energy source on the bottom are presented. For the experimental determination of temperature fields in a mixed convection method of thermocouple measurements was used. Studies were conducted at Reynolds numbers 10 ≤Re ≤ 1500 and Rayleigh 103 ≤Ra ≤ 105. For the verification of obtained experimental data mathematical simulation of mixed convection in the region with the use of a software package Comsol Multiphysics is carried out. A good agreement between the results of experimental determination of the local characteristics of mixed convection in a rectangular volume with a local source of energy and heat-conducting walls with theoretical consequences obtained in the simulation of convective flows using a mathematical package is established. It makes it possible to make a conclusion about the possibility of application for the analysis of flow conditions of viscous heat-conducting gas of experimental procedure based on methods of thermocouple measurements. At the same time the developed approach to the experimental study of mixed convection is applicable in a wide enough range of the main flow parameters and the experimental conditions.