Effect of surface radiation on conjugate mixed convection in a vertical channel with a discrete heat source in each wall

Abstract

The results of a numerical analysis of the problem of two-dimensional, steady, incompressible, conjugate, laminar, mixed convection with surface radiation in a vertical parallel-plate channel, provided with a flush-mounted, heat generating, discrete heat source in each wall, are presented here. Air, a radiatively non-participating medium, is used as the cooling agent. A computer code based on the finite volume method is written exclusively for solving the above problem. The effect of surface emissivity, aspect ratio, discrete heat source position and modified Richardson number on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics is explored. Useful correlations are evolved for the maximum temperature of the left and the right channel walls, the mean friction coefficient and the forced convection component of the mean friction coefficient.