Experimental study of natural convection heat transfer in a semicircular enclosure

Abstract

An experimental study of natural convection heat transfer in a differentially heated semicircular enclosure was carried out. The flat surface was heated and the radial surface was cooled isothermally. The effects of angle of enclosure inclination on the heat transfer across semicircular regions of several radii were measured for Rayleigh numbers RaR ranging from 6.72 × 106 to 2.33 × 108, using water as the working fluid. The angle of inclination varied from −90 degrees to 90 degrees with radii R of 50, 40, and 30 mm. The flow patterns were sketched from the results of a visualization experiment using aluminum powder. The temperature measurements in the enclosure were carried out using liquid crystals and thermocouples. The results indicate that different flow patterns were encountered as the angle of inclination varied, and the heat transfer rate was largely dependent on the flow pattern. In particular, enhanced heat transfer rates can be obtained when plume-like flow occurs along both hot and cold walls in the case of an upward-facing hot wall. Heat transfer for the inclined enclosure can be predicted using the equation for a vertical enclosure presented in this paper. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Inc. Heat Trans Jpn Res, 26(2): 131–142, 1997