Enhancement of natural ventilation in rectangular enclosure with two openings by thin fin

Abstract

A numerical method was used to study the natural ventilation in a rectangular enclosure with two symmetrical openings. In order to improve the natural ventilation efficiency, a fin was introduced into the enclosure. Steady-state heat transfer by laminar natural ventilation in a partially divided rectangular enclosure was investigated by numerically solving equations of mass, momentum and energy. Streamlines and isotherms were produced and heat transfer rate were calculated. A parametric study was carried out using the following parameters: Rayleigh number (1×10³ − 1×10⁶), dimensionless length (0–0.7) and position values (−0.7−0.7). It is found that the Nusselt number is an increasing function of Rayleigh number. By comparing with no-fin case, it is concluded that fin can effectively enhance the natural ventilation in the enclosure.

Keywords

fin length / fin position / discrete heat sources

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