Experimental and numerical analyses of magnetic convection of paramagnetic fluid in a cube heated and cooled from opposing verticals walls

The effect of a strong magnetic field on the natural convection of paramagnetic fluid in a cubical enclosure was examined. The enclosure was heated from one vertical copper wall with electric wire and cooled from the opposite wall with water pumped from a thermostating bath. The temperatures of the cooled and heated walls were measured with six thermocouples. The working fluid consisted of 80% mass glycerol aqueous solution containing 0.8 [mol(.)(kg of solution)(-1)] of gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate to make it paramagnetic. A thermochromic liquid crystal slurry was added to the working fluid in order to visualize the temperature field in the illuminated cross-section. Numerical computations were carried out for a system corresponding to the experimental one, and computed Nusselt numbers agreed well with those obtained experimentally. (c) 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.