Numerical study of coupled natural convection to surface radiation in an open cavity submitted to lateral or corner heating

Abstract The present study reports numerical results of coupled heat transfer by natural convection and surface radiation in an open air-filled cavity. Two heating modes are considered; in the first mode called LH (lateral heating), the cavity is heated via its lateral wall, while in the second mode named CH (corner heating), the cavity is heated via its bottom corner (the lower half of the vertical wall and the left half of the bottom wall). The rest of the walls are assumed to be perfectly adiabatic. The conservation equations were solved using the Finite Volume Method (FVM) combined with the SIMPLE algorithm (Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations). The radiation heat transfer between the different surfaces of the cavity was treated by the radiosity-irradiation method. Results are presented in terms of isotherms, streamlines, and Nusselt numbers. The effect of the Rayleigh number Ra on the flow structure, the distribution of temperature gradients, the local and mean Nusselt numbers is discussed. Also, a comparison between results of the two heating modes is conducted.