Natural convection in a cavity filled with nanofluids

Abstract

The present paper deals with a numerical study of natural convection in a cavity filled with nanofluids. The highest temperature value stands for the left vertical wall, Th (heat source), the right vertical wall is kept at a low temperature, TC and the other walls are isolated. The equations of continuity, Navier-Stocks and energy were solved by using the finite-volume method based on the SIMPLER algorithm. A computer program was developed and compared with the numerical results found in the literature. Results were presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms, local and average Nusselt numbers for the Rayleigh number(103≤Ra≤106), solid volume fraction of nanoparticles (0≤ϕ≤0.10), dimensionless length of the heat source (B=0.5), and the type of nanofluids (Cu, Ag, Al2O3 and TiO2). The results show that the previous parameters have considerable effects on the flow and thermal fields