Natural Convection With Radiation in a Cavity With Open Top End

The heat transfer by natural convection and radiation in a two-dimensional cavity with one side heated, one side and bottom insulated, and the top open was investigated numerically. The first part of the study focused on natural convection alone, and concluded with closed-form correlations for the heat transfer from each of the side walls. It was found that the fluid rises along both side walls in the boundary layer regime. In the second part of the study, the natural convection correlations were incorporated into a seven-equation model for combined convection and radiation. The procedure needed for calculating the floating temperature of the insulated wall was illustrated numerically. The individual effects of the dimensions of the cavity, the temperature of the heated wall, and the emissivities of the two side walls were also documented numerically.