Transient Analysis of Natural Convection Between Inclined Parallel Plates

In the present investigation a transient numerical analysis for laminar natural convection in air between two inclined parallel plates, with the upper plate heated at uniform heat flux and the lower one unheated, is carried out by means of the finite volume method. The full two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations together with the continuity and energy equations are solved in an enlarged computational domain. Results are presented in terms of air velocity and temperature profiles, wall temperature profiles and thermal fields for different Rayleigh numbers, Ra, and inclination angles, γ. The steady state conditions are attained faster for γ > 0° at the lower analyzed Rayleigh number values while at the higher Ra values, the time at which steady state conditions are attained increases as the inclination angle increases. At the inlet and midplane section, air temperatures decrease as the inclination angle increases for all Rayleigh number values. For inclination angle greater than 5° overshoot and undershoot in wall temperature profile are observed. At the outlet section, the downflow decreases as the inclination angle increases.