Flow and heat transfer of natural convection around an upward‐facing horizontal plate with a vertical plate at the edge

Abstract

AbstractNatural convective flows around an upward‐facing horizontal heated plate with a vertical plate at the edge were investigated experimentally. Of particular concern were the influences of the vertical plate on the fluid flow and the heat transfer of the horizontal plate. The flow and temperature fields adjacent to the horizontal plate were visualized with dye and a liquid‐crystal thermometry. The results show that the vertical plate obstructs the flow from the top of the vertical plate, while the flow from the open edge of the horizontal plate covers the whole horizontal surface when the height of the vertical plate exceed H/W = 0.14 for adiabatic vertical plate and H/W = 0.1 for the heated vertical plate. The local heat‐transfer‐coefficients of the horizontal plate were also measured. It was found that the vertical adiabatic plates deteriorate the heat transfer, while the heated vertical plates enhance the heat transfer from the horizontal plates. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(8): 527–539, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20033