Abstract: Natural convective heat transfer from two narrow
adjacent rectangular isothermal flat plates of the same size embedded in a plane
adiabatic surface, the adiabatic surface being in the same plane as the surfaces
of the heated plates, has been numerically investigated. The two plates have the
same surface temperature and they are aligned with each other but are separated
form each other by a relatively small gap. Results for the case where the plates
are vertical and where they are inclined at positive or negative angles to the
vertical have been obtained. It has been assumed that the fluid properties are
constant except for the density change with temperature which gives rise to the
buoyancy forces, this having been treated using the Boussinesq approach. It has
also been assumed that the flow is symmetrical about the vertical center plane
between the two plates. The solution has been obtained by numerically solving
the full three-dimensional form of governing equations, these equations being
written in dimensionless form. The solution was obtained using the commercial
finite volume method based cfd code, FLUENT. The solution has the Rayleigh
number, the dimensionless plate width, the angle of inclination, the
dimensionless gap between two flat plates, and the Prandtl number as parameters.
Results have only been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.7. Results have been
obtained for Rayleigh numbers between and for plate
width-to-height ratios of between 0.15 and 0.6, for gap between the adjacent
edges to plate height ratios of between 0 and 0.2, for angles of inclination
between +45° and –45°.
Keywords and phrases: natural convection, narrow plates, numerical, inclined plates, adjacent plates, gap size.
