Abstract
In many industrial contexts, buoyancy driven flows are the only cooling strategy in case of breakdown of the forced convection cooling system. In order to study those flows in a simplified configuration, a buoyancy-driven flow is generated inside a cubic enclosure by a partially heated block (Ra = 1.4 × 109). The flow is studied experimentally in the vertical median plane, in the part of the enclosure where the flow is generated i.e. close to the heated side of the block. Velocity fields, mean profiles and RMS statistics are analyzed. The results show the presence of boundary layer flows with a central zone nearly at rest and stratified. RMS velocities are intensified with elevation.
Highlights
Turbulent and transient flows with dominant buoyancy effects are encountered in many industrial applications, especially in the nuclear or automotive sectors
This experimental study is part of a project which aims to solve the problems encountered by industrial partners during numerical simulations of turbulent flows with dominant buoyancy effects in a confined enclosure
The flow is ascending along the hot wall and a boundary layer flow is observed
Summary
Turbulent and transient flows with dominant buoyancy effects are encountered in many industrial applications, especially in the nuclear or automotive sectors. Following a sudden stop of the car vehicle after a heavy load, its integrity must be preserved even when it is no longer cooled by a forced external flow For such situations, natural convection, often in turbulent regimes, ensures cooling. Natural convection, often in turbulent regimes, ensures cooling This experimental study is part of a project which aims to solve the problems encountered by industrial partners during numerical simulations of turbulent flows with dominant buoyancy effects in a confined enclosure. Some studies show the impact of the size and conductivity of an unheated block [1, 2] while others focus on the role of a heated block on combined conduction/convection transfers [3, 4] As it will be seen in this paper, the part of the flow studied in the present work has some properties similar to the flows observed in a differentially heated cavity. This paper aims to understand the dynamical behavior of the flow in the heated channel of this simplified configuration
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