Effects of Reynolds and Prandtl number on mixed convection in a ventilated cavity with a heat-generating solid circular block

A numerical study has been executed to analyze the effects of Reynolds and Prandtl number on mixed convective flow and heat transfer characteristics inside a ventilated cavity in presence of a heat-generating solid circular obstacle placed at the center. The inlet opening is at the bottom of the left wall, while the outlet one is at the top of the right wall and all the walls of the cavity are considered to be adiabatic. Galerkin weighted residual finite element method is used to solve the governing equations of mass, momentum and energy. Results are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms, the average Nusselt number, the Drag force and the average fluid temperature in the cavity for different combinations of controlling parameters namely, Reynolds number, Prandtl number and Richardson number. The results indicate that the flow and thermal fields as well as the heat transfer rate, the Drag force and the average fluid temperature in the cavity depend significantly on the mentioned parameters. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.