Multiple steady-state solutions for natural convection in a tilted rectangular slot containing non-Newtonian power-law fluids and subject to a transverse thermal gradient

摘要

The multiplicity of steady-state solutions, for natural convection of non-Newtonian power-law fluids, confined in a tilted rectangular slot subjected to uniform heat flux along its long longitudinal walls, is carried out numerically by solving the full governing equations. In the limit of a thin layer, these equations are considerably reduced by using the parallel flow approximation. Solutions for the flow and temperature fields and heat transfer rate are obtained as functions of the governing parameters ( which are the flow behavior power-law index, n, the Rayleigh number, Ra, and the inclination angle, phi). The multiplicity of solutions is proved for the present problem, and good agreement between the results of the two approaches is obtained for wide ranges of n, Ra, and phi.