Full Length Research Paper

Combined forced and free convection heat transfer in a semiporous open cavity

Carlos Alberto Chaves, José Rui Camargo* and Valesca Alves Correa

Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Taubaté, Taubaté, Brazil.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: rui@unitau.br. Tel: +55 12 3625-4131. Fax: +55 12 3631-8002

Accepted 13 August, 2008.

   Abstract

An analysis of heat transfer inside a semi porous two-dimensional rectangular open cavity was numerically examined. The open cavity consists of two vertical walls closed to the bottom by a uniform heat flux. One vertical wall is a porous wall and fluid inflows normal to it. The other wall transfers the same uniform heat flux to the cavity. The study shows how natural convection effects may improve the forced convection inside the open cavity. The main motivation for this research is its application for electronic equipment where the cooling devices used for the electronic equipment are frequently based on natural and forced convection and the equipment may reach dangerous limits of temperature reducing its efficiency. Governing equations are expressed in Cartesian Coordinates and numerically handled by a finite volume method.  Results of the maximum temperature are presented for both Reynolds and Grashof numbers at the heated wall and in the bottom.

Key words: Semiporous open cavity, forced and free convection, heat transfer.