Free Convection Heat Transfer in a Stably Stratified Fluid between Vertical Plates. 2nd Report. The Effects of Heating Conditions and the Initial Temperature of the Fluid on the Heat Transfer.

Abstract

An experimental study was performed on the effects of heating conditions and the initial temperature of a fluid T0 on free convection heat transfer in a stably stratified fluid. The stratified layer was formed in a rectangular container using sucrose aqueous solution, and was heated laterally from one side at temperature Th with constant heat flux and cooled from the other side at constant temperature Tc. The experiment was conducted for both cases of T0=Tc and Tc< T0< Th. From a comparison with previously reported results for constant heating temperature it has been found that the constant heat flux condition tends to create uniform convection layers, and that the effects of the initial temperature on the heat transfer are limited to the early stage of heating. A relation between the thickness of a convection cell and the heat transfer coefficient was also clarified in the preset study.