The interaction between stable thermal stratification and convection under a heated horizontal surface facing downward

A numerical study of natural convection below a downward facing heated horizontal plate is presented. The flow structure is shown to invalidate similarity and integral analyses. The inadequacies of boundary layer analyses for this problem are pointed out. Numerical calculations of flow and thermal fields are presented for a wide range of parameters for laminar flows, A comparison with experimental measurement of velocity shows good agreement. The development of stable thermal stratification below the heated surface is investigated in detail, Nusselt number data and correlations are provided. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.