Abstract
This paper reports the results of fluid flow measurements for natural convection in a converging plates channel using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. The channel walls were symmetrically subjected to uniform temperature conditions. Velocity characteristics were obtained for two inclination angles, θ = 15 and 45°, and two heating conditions corresponding to RaL = 2.7 × 108 and 4.4 × 108, where RaL is the Raleigh number based on the length of the channel wall. Results are presented as vector plots as well as profiles of mean velocities and turbulence quantities. They show that the main flow is aligned with the orientation of the channel walls, due to the effect of buoyancy force, which is no longer exclusively in the vertical direction. They also reveal the presence of reverse flow, which leads to the formation of two symmetric vortices in the core.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1204-1212 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2008 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author is pleased to acknowledge the support provided for this study by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. The useful discussion with Prof. B.S. Yilbas during the manuscript preparation is highly appreciated.
Keywords
- Buoyancy
- Converging channel
- Experimental investigation
- Natural convection
- PIV
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemical Engineering
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes