Mass and heat transfer by natural convection in a vertical cavity

This paper reports a fundamental study of laminar natural convection in a rectangular enclosure with heat and mass transfer from the side, when the bouyancy effect is due to density variations caused by either temperature or concentration variations. In the first part of the study scale analysis is used to determine the scales of the flow, temperature and concentration fields in boundary layer flow for all values of Prandtl and Lewis numbers. In particular, scale analysis shows that in the extreme case where the flow is driven by bouyancy due to temperature variations, the ratio of mass transfer rate divided by heat transfer rate scales as Le 1 2 only if (Pr > 1, Le < 1) or (Pr < 1, Sc < 1), and as Le 1 3 if (Pr > 1, Le > 1) or (Pr < 1, Sc > 1). In the second part of the study, the boundary layer scales derived in the first part are used to determine the heat and mass transport characteristics of a vertical slot filled with fluid. Criteria for the existence of distinct thermal and concentration boundary layers in the slot are determined. Numerical solutions for the flow and concentration fields in a slot without distinct thermal boundary layers are reported. These solutions support further the method of scale analysis employed in the first part of the study