Numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in steady state laminar natural convection in horizontal circular cylindrical enclosures

Abstract

Heat transfer by natural convection often occurs in a closed enclosure in various applications. Different geometries of the cross section of a two-dimensional enclosure, such as triangle, rectangle, and trapezoid have already been investigated. In this research, a regular polygon with twelve sides is considered. The study focuses on the rate of heat transfer through the enclosure, using one side of the polygon as the hot surface and another side as the cold surface. The dodecagon can serve as a model for circular cylindrical enclosures under constant temperature boundary conditions over a specified length. The Nusselt number of the enclosure is obtained for each side as the hot surface. Both the lowest and highest Nusselt numbers are evaluated based on the position of the cold side. The findings reveal that the highest Nusselt number does not necessarily correspond to configurations where the hot and cold sides are directly opposite each other. In situations where convection heat transfer through the enclosure is the predominant mode of heat transfer, the Nusselt number is a power function of the Rayleigh number. Conversely, a logarithmic relationship is observed in cases of conduction heat transfer within the enclosure.