COMPUTATION OF CONJUGATE NATURAL-CONVECTION HEAT-TRANSFER FROM A RECTANGULAR FIN ON A PARTIALLY HEATED HORIZONTAL BASE

In this study, a numerical investigation has been carried out to revea l the mechanism of fluid flow and heat transfer from a vertical rectan gular fin attached to a partially heated horizontal base. The problem is a conjugate conduction-convection heat transfer problem with open b oundaries. The governing equations for the problem are the conservatio n of mass, momentum and energy equations for the fluid and the heat co nduction equation for the fin. The control volume technique based on t he SIMPLEC algorithm with a nonstaggerred grid arrangement is employed to solve the governing equations. The effect of the heated base, on t he mechanism of the fluid flow and heat transfer, is numerically inves tigated. Temperature distribution and flow patterns around the fin are plotted to support the discussion. Results are obtained for air at la minar and steady flow.