Interaction Between Two Mutually Orthogonal Heat-Generating Baffles in a Square Cavity

Laminar free convection induced by two mutually orthogonal discrete heat-generating baffles in a two-dimensional square cavity is analyzed numerically. The computations were carried out for different locations and combinations of heat source strengths of the baffles for a fixed Grashof number of 10(6)and Prandtl number of 0.71. The coupled governing equations were solved bya finite-difference method using alternating direction implicit technique and successive overrelaxation methods. The obtained results clearly show that the hydrodynamic and thermal fields in the cavity depend on both the location and strength of the heat-generating baffles. Though the flow inhibition is caused by both the baffles, the baffle with higher source strength plays a decisive role in inducing the flow. The locations of baffles with unequal source strengths produce significant changes in the net heat transfer rate. This is further magnified for higher contrast in source strengths. This study provides qualitative suggestions that may improve the thermal design of sealed enclosures, which are encountered frequently in the electronics industry.