Natural convection in a square cavity due to a protruding body - Aspect ratio consideration

The natural convection from a protruding body in a cavity is a major interest in cooling and heating applications. In the present study, a natural convection due to a protruding body in a square cavity is investigated. The effect of the aspect ratio of the protruding body on the resulting Nusselt number (Nu) is considered. The governing equations of flow and energy are solved numerically. The intake and exit ports are allocated in the side walls of the cavity and air is used as the environment within the cavity in the simulations. The entropy analyses due to heat transfer and fluid friction are carried out for different aspect ratios. An empirical relation between Nu and the aspect ratio is developed. It is found that the aspect ratio considerably influences Nu such that as the aspect ratio increases Nu reduces. The overall irreversibility to heat transfer ratio reduces with increasing aspect ratio.