Natural Convection in a Trapezoidal Enclosure Heated from the Side with a Baffle Mounted on Its Upper Inclined Surface

Abstract

A numerical investigation examined the effects on heat transfer of mounting baffles to the upper inclined surfaces of trapezoidal cavities. Two thermal boundary conditions are considered. In the first, the left, short vertical wall is heated while the right, long vertical wall is cooled (buoyancy assisting mode along the upper inclined surface of the cavity). In the second, the right, long vertical wall is heated while the left, short vertical wall is cooled (buoyancy opposing mode along the upper inclined surface of the cavity). For each boundary condition, computations are performed for three baffle heights, two baffle locations, four Rayleigh number values, and three Prandtl number values. Results are displayed in terms of streamlines, isotherms, and local and average Nusselt number values. For both boundary conditions, predictions reveal a decrease in heat transfer in the presence of baffles, with its rate generally increasing with increasing baffle height and Prandtl number. For a given baffle height, a higher decrease in heat transfer is generally obtained with baffles located close to the short vertical wall. Average Nusselt number correlations for both boundary conditions are presented.