Radiation Effects on Turbulent Mixed Convection in an Asymmetrically Heated Vertical Channel

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe purpose of present study is to numerically investigate the radiation effects on turbulent mixed convection flow between two differentially heated vertical parallel plates. Two flow situations known as aiding and opposing flow are considered. Frictional Reynolds number and Grashof number are assumed to be 150 and 1.6 × 106, respectively. Both hydrodynamically and thermally developing and fully developed regions in the channel are investigated. Three Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes-based low Reynolds turbulence models are evaluated and the model with better overall performance is applied to the simulations. The radiative transfer equation for the gray and participating fluid is solved using the discrete-ordinates method, adopting its eighth-order quadrature scheme. The effects of two radiative parameters, namely, wall emissivity and optical thickness, on the flow and thermal fields, Nusselt number, and friction factor are addressed. Present results indicate that the presence of thermal radiation has a significant influence on flow and thermal fields. With an increase in wall emissivity and optical thickness, influence of radiation on the mean velocity, mean temperature, and turbulence kinetic energy profiles grows in both aiding and opposing regions. This results in an increase in bulk temperature, centerline velocity, and Nusselt number and a decrease in friction factor on both sides.