NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF TRANSIENT NATURAL-CONVECTION IN AN INCLINED WALL CAVITY

Transient natural convection in an open cavity with one inclined wall is analyzed both numerically and experimentally. The fluid and the cav ity are in thermal equilibrium at the onset of the experiment. The inc lined wall is heated in such a way that the wall temperature increases uniformly according to an hyperbolic tangent function. The transport equations are solved using a 2-D transient model with a non-orthogonal body fitted coordinate system and an exponential grid distribution fo r better spatial resolution near the inclined wall. Measurements of ve locity and temperature are performed at some key points of the boundar y layer and intrusion layer. The fluid motion and heat transfer are an alyzed from the time at which heat is applied through the inclined wal l to the time at which its effect is detected at the opposite sidewall . The main patterns of the fluid flow and heat transfer are well predi cted as comparisons against experimental results indicate.