Numerical study of heat transfer across a closed cavity and its application to a double glazed window.

摘要

Steady, laminar, natural convection in a vertical, rectangular, air filled enclosure, has been studied numerically. The enclosure is formed by two flat, parallel vertical plates, enclosed on the top and bottom by flat horizontal parallel plates. A 2-dimensional model is considered in the present study. Emphasis has been given to treating the cavity as a double glazed window, which requires the height to width (distance between vertical plates) ratio to be as high as 80. The present study has considered the environmental factors affecting the heat transfer across the window. They are the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior, the wind speeds and the solar radiation absorbed in the glass panes of the window. The Boussinesq approximation and constant physical properties of the fluid (in this case air) inside the cavity have been assumed. The set of primitive variables is used to solve the full Navier-Stokes equations and the energy equation. A finite domain technique, is used to develop a code using a staggered grid. Results of the heat flux variation over a wide range of aspect ratios and Grashof numbers are presented. Detailed temperature profiles and streamlines have also been shown. Results of the present study have been compared with the experimental and numerical data of other investigators. This has served to validate the mathematical formulation and the numerical code that has been developed.Dept. of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses u26 Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1989 .M874. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: B, page: 1082. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1989.