Study on natural convection in a rectangular enclosure with a heating source

The natural convective heat transfer in a rectangular enclosure with a heating source has been studied by experiment and numerical analysis. The governing equations were solved by a finite volume method, a SIMPLE algorithm was adopted to solve a pressure term. The parameters for the numerical study are positions and surface temperatures of a heating source i.e., Y/H 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 11degreesCless than or equal toDeltaTless than or equal to59degreesC. The results of isotherms and velocity vectors have been represented, and the numerical results showed a good agreement with experimental values. Based on the numerical results, the mean Nusselt number of the rectangular enclosure wall could be expressed as a function of Grashof number.