Laminar Free Convective Heat Transfer In Parabolic Enclosures

ABSTRACT

The laminar free convective heat transfer characteristics of parabolic enclosures have been investigated using numerical computation and experimental modeling methods. The geometry is a long cavity made up of a parabolic wall bowed over a horizontal wall. Due to symmetry, the analytical model is one half of a two-dimensional cross-section consisting of a hot parabolic upper-wall, a cold horizontal base-wall of width B, and an adiabatic vertical wall of height, H.

Two cases of heat-inputs from the parabolic wall have been considered viz;

Case I; isothermal conditions on hot wall and,

Case II; constant-heat-flux conditions through hot wall.

The base and vertical walls remained isothermal and adiabatic respectively.

This model has practical applications in air conditioning considerations of curved-roof housings and in the designs of more efficient solar energy collectors.