Natural convection flow of micropolar fluid in a rectangular cavity heated from below with cold sidewalls

Transient and steady two-dimensional natural convection flow of micropolar fluid in a rectangular cavity heated from below with cold sidewalls has been studied numerically. The governing transient equations are solved using Alternate Direct Implicit method, together with Successive Over Relaxation method for stream function equation. The flow pattern and its effect on heat transfer and skin friction is studied for different values of Rayleigh number, Prandtl number, vortex viscosity parameter and cavity length. It was found that the number of vortex cells formed inside the cavity is a characteristic of the cavity length, the vortex viscosity parameter and Rayleigh number. The results are also compared with the case of Newtonian fluid. The heat transfer rate from heated surface, in the case of micropolar fluid is less than that of the Newtonian fluid under the same physical conditions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.