INFLUENCE OF TRANSVERSE FINS ATTACHED TO THE HEATED WALL OF A RAYLEIGH-BENARD CAVITY

摘要

In this article we examine the augmentation of classic Rayleigh-Benard convection by the addition of periodically-spaced tranverse fins attached to the heated, lower plate. The respective impacts of the fin size, the fin spacing and the thermal conductivity of the fin material are examined through numerical simulations for different laminar Rayleigh numbers and reported in terms of the Nusselt number. With the exception of very closely spaced fins, the heat transport is observed to exceed that of the idealized Rayleigh-Benard case. It is found that local heat transport maxima and minima do exist for specific fin spacings and that the maxima become more pronounced at higher Rayleigh numbers. For 'small fins' the fin spacing corresponding to maximum heat transport is such that the fin spacing is approximately equal to the enclosure height.