Numerical study of mixed convection in a horizontal no parallel-plates channel with an unheated moving plate

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the thermal and fluid dynamic behaviors of mixed convection in air because of the interaction between a buoyancy flow and a moving plate induced flow in a horizontal no parallel-plates channel to investigate the effects of the minimum channel spacing, wall heat flux, moving plate velocity and converging angle. Design/methodology/approach The horizontal channel is made up of an upper inclined plate heated at uniform wall heat flux and a lower adiabatic moving surface (belt). The belt moves from the minimum channel spacing section to the maximum channel spacing section at a constant velocity so that its effect interferes with the buoyancy effect. The numerical analysis is accomplished by means of the finite volume method, using the commercial code Fluent. Findings Results in terms of heated upper plate and moving lower plate temperatures and stream function fields are presented. The paper underlines the thermal and fluid dynamic differences when natural convection or mixed convection takes place, varying minimum channel spacing, wall heat flux, moving plate velocity and converging angle. Research limitations/implications The hypotheses on which the present analysis is based are two-dimensional, laminar and steady state flow and constant thermo physical properties with the Boussinesq approximation. The minimum distance between the upper heated plate of the channel and its lower adiabatic moving plate is 10 and 20 mm. The moving plate velocity varies in the range 0-1 m/s; the belt moves from the right reservoir to the left one. Three values of the uniform wall heat flux are considered, 30, 60 and 120 W/m2, whereas the inclination angle of the upper plate θ is 2° and 10°. Practical implications Mixed convection because of moving surfaces in channels is present in many industrial applications; examples of processes include continuous casting, extrusion of plastics and other polymeric materials, bonding, annealing and tempering, cooling and/or drying of paper and textiles, chemical catalytic reactors, nuclear waste repositories, petroleum reservoirs, composite materials manufacturing and many others. The investigated configuration is used in applications such as re-heating of billets in furnaces for hot rolling process, continuous extrusion of materials and chemical vapor deposition, and it could also be used in thermal control of electronic systems. Originality/value This paper evaluates the thermal and velocity fields to detect the maximum temperature location and the presence of fluid recirculation. The paper is useful to thermal designers.