Effect of a Centered Conducting Body on Natural Convection Heat Transfer in an Enclosure

The effect of a centered, square, heat-conducting body on natural convection in a vertical square enclosure was examined numerically. The analysis reveals that the fluid flow and heat transfer processes are governed by the Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers, the dimensionless body size, and the ratio of the thermal conductivity of the body to that of the fluid. For Pr = 0.71 and relatively wide ranges of the other parameters, results are reported in terms of streamlines, isotherms, and the overall heat transfer across the enclosure as described by the Nusselt number. Heat transfer across the enclosure, in comparison to that in the absence of a body, may be enhanced (reduced) by a body with a thermal conductivity ratio less (greater) than unity. Furthermore, the heat transfer may attain a minimum as the body size is increased. These and other findings are justified through a careful examination of the local heat and fluid flow phenomena.