Numerical computation of natural convection inside a curved-shape nanofluid-filled enclosure with nonuniform heating of the bottom wall

Abstract

This paper performs a numerical analysis of the natural convection within two-dimensional enclosures (square enclosure and enclosures with curved walls) full of a H2O-Cu nanofluid. While their vertical walls are isothermal with a cold temperature [Formula: see text], the horizontal top wall is adiabatic and the bottom wall is kept at a sinusoidal hot temperature. The working fluid is assumed to be Newtonian and incompressible. Three values of the Rayleigh number were considered, viz., 103, 104, 105, the Prandtl number is fixed at 6.2, and the volume fraction [Formula: see text] is taken equal to 0% (pure water), 10% and 20%. The numerical simulation is achieved using a 2D-in-house CFD code based on the governing equations formulated in bipolar coordinates and translated algebraically via the finite volume method. Numerical results are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms and local and average Nusselt numbers. These show that the heat transfer rate increases with both the volume fraction and the Rayleigh number, and that the average number of Nusselt characterizing the heat transfer raises with the nanoparticles volume fraction.