Heat Transfer in Discretely Heated Side-Vented Compact Enclosures by Combined Conduction, Natural Convection, and Radiation

A three-dimensional investigation of combined conduction, natural convection, and radiation in a side-vented compact enclosure is carried out. The focus of the study is on the enhancement of overall heat transfer through the opening, and the roles of the various modes in achieving it. A discrete heat source, flush-mounted centrally on a vertical substrate, is placed in the enclosure with a single rectangular opening on the opposite vertical wall. Steady-state computations are carried out for Rayleigh numbers, Ra, at 2.6 × 10⁶ and 2.0 × 10⁷. The results show that radiation plays a significant role in the overall heat transfer, and the radiative transport is even more pronounced for lower Ra. It is found that natural convection is weakened by radiation, however, contrary to the existing studies on top vented enclosures, the overall heat transfer is enhanced when radiation is included in the computations. Flow recirculation by radiative heating of enclosure walls is predicted, and is also observed experimentally. Heat spreading in the substrate is found to effect both convection and radiation. The numerical solutions on an extended computational domain are found in good agreement with the experimental data, when the conjugate effects are accounted for.