Enhanced thermal performance and entropy generation analysis in a novel cavity design with circular cylinder

Analyzing fluid dynamics and heat transfer holds significant importance in the design and enhancement of engineering systems. The current investigation utilizes the finite element method to explore natural convection and heat transfer intricacies within a novel cavity containing an inner circular cylinder under steady and laminar flow conditions. The principal aim of this study is to assess the impact of Rayleigh number (Ra), Bejan number (Be), and the presence of adiabatic, hot, and cold cylinders on heat transfer, entropy generation, and fluid flow. The range of Ra considered in this investigation spans from 10³ to 10⁶, while the Prandtl number for the air is fixed at 0.71. The findings illustrate that the presence of a cylinder leads to higher Be as Ra increase, compared to scenarios where no cylinder is present. This observation suggests that buoyancy forces dominate in the absence of a cylinder, resulting in significantly enhanced convective heat transfer efficiency. However, the presence of a heated cylinder within the tooth-shaped cavity exerts a substantial influence on the overall thermal performance of the system. Notably, the average Nusselt Number (Nu) experiences a remarkable increase of 41.97% under the influence of a heated cylinder, when compared to situations where a cold cylinder is present. This elevated average Nu signifies improved heat transfer characteristics, ultimately resulting in an overall improvement in the thermal system's efficiency.