Abstract

Transient natural convection inside an inner thin walled container caused by external mixed convection in a square cavity has been analyzed numerically. Air and water were chosen alternatively as internal and external working fluids. Fluid mechanics and conjugate heat transfer, described in terms of continuity, linear momentum and energy equations, were predicted by using the finite volume method. Streamlines, isotherms, velocity profiles and local Nusselt number time evolution are presented for external flows, of either air or water, with Ri = 1, in two cases: Re = 200 and 500. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.