Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Title

Transport through Baffles in Bottom Heated Top Cooled Enclosures: Parametric Studies

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 7-2008

Abstract

This paper presents parametric studies on the heat transfer and fluid exchange through single-hole baffles located at the median height in bottom heated top cooled enclosures. Results indicate that when the baffle area-opening ratio is smaller than 2%, the heat transfer in the enclosure is dominated by the transport through the baffle opening. Even with such small baffle openings, increasing the enclosure aspect ratio still enhances the transport across the baffle. The characteristic length scale of flow in the enclosure is a combination of baffle opening diameter and the chamber height. The Nusselt number that characterize the heat transfer through the baffle-hole is linearly correlated with the Rayleigh number based on baffle opening diameter and the temperature difference between the bulk temperatures in the two chambers, while no effects of Prandtl numbers are observed. The mechanism of transport across the baffle opening varies from conduction dominated, combined conduction and convection, and convection dominated regimes as Rayleigh number increases.

Publication Title

Heat and Mass Transfer

Volume

44

Issue

9

First Page

1141

Last Page

1151

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