Transient flow in a ventilated enclosure containing a vertically distributed source of buoyancy

摘要

An experimental and numerical investigation of the fluid mechanics within an enclosure containing a plane, vertically distributed source of buoyancy is described. Two separate situations are considered in which the enclosure is either sealed or naturally ventilated. In the sealed enclosure the stratification develops in qualitatively the same way as for a 'filling' box containing a single, point source of buoyancy on the floor. In the case of the ventilated box it is found that for some values of non-dimensional vent area a complex stratification develops with a number of distinct layers fed by horizontal intrusions from the vertical source. We present results from saline solution experiments and compare them with a theoretical model developed using plume theory. Numerical solutions to the theoretical equations which provide detailed information on the transient development of the density profile within the enclosure are also presented.