An Experimental Study of High Rayleigh Number Mixed Convection in a Rectangular Enclosure With Restricted Inlet and Outlet Openings

Measured local heat transfer data and the results of flow visualization studies are reported for cross-flow mixed convection in a rectangular enclosure with restricted inlet and outlet openings at high Rayleigh number. In this study, experiments using water as the test fluid were conducted in a small-scale test section with uniformly heated vertical side walls and an adiabatic top and bottom. As the flow rate through the enclosure increased, the enhancement of heat transfer, above that for natural convection alone, also increased. The variation of the local heat transfer coefficient over the heated surface was found to be strongly affected by the recirculation of portions of the forced flow within the enclosure. Mean heat transfer coefficients are also presented which were calculated by averaging the measured local values over the heated surface. A correlation for the mean heat transfer coefficient is also proposed which agrees very well with the experimentally determined values. A method of predicting the flow regime in this geometry for specified heating and flow conditions is also discussed.