Three-dimensional laminar convection in a parallelepiped with heating of two side walls

Three-dimensional laminar free convection in a parallelepiped with heating of two side walls with variation of the height-to-width aspect ratio over a wide range A (x) = L/H = 0.1-5 is investigated numerically. The Rayleigh number changed over the range Ra = 10(3)-10(6). The influence of the volume geometry on the three-dimensional flow structure and heat transfer is studied. It is shown that the three-dimensional character of the flow has a profound effect on heat transmission at a small aspect ratio parameter (A (x) < 1). For longer length volumes, the whole coefficient of heat emission does not depend on the height-to-width aspect ratio of the enclosure and can be determined from a 2D-approach.