Transient mixed convection in a partially divided enclosure

Abstract

Transient laminar mixed convection in a two-dimensional enclosure partitioned by a conducting baffle is investigated numerically. The enclosure has a finite-size heat source imbedded on a vertical wall. The present work simulates a practical system such one with air-cooled electronic equipment with heated components. Emphasis is placed on the transient behavior affected by the geometric arrangements in the enclosure. The developed mathematical model is governed by the coupled equations of stream function, vorticity transport, and energy, and is solved by employing the cubic spline collocation method. The effects of divider and Reynolds numbers on the heat transfer mechanism are found to be significant. The results indicate that steady time depends strongly on the governing parameters and the configuration of the divider. The transient nature of the interaction between the external forced airstream and the buoyancy driven flow by heat source is explained by the streamlines and the isotherms in the enclosure.