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Physical–numerical parameters in laminar simulations of natural convection on three-dimensional square plates

Sílvio Aparecido Verdério Júnior (Department of Industry, IFSP, Araraquara, Brazil)
Vicente Luiz Scalon (Department of Mechanical Engineering, FEB-UNESP, Bauru, Brazil)
Santiago del Rio Oliveira (Department of Mechanical Engineering, FEB-UNESP, Bauru, Brazil)

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow

ISSN: 0961-5539

Article publication date: 16 September 2021

Issue publication date: 16 May 2022

46

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the main physical–numerical parameters in the computational evaluation of natural convection heat transfer rates in isothermal flat square plates in the laminar regime. Moreover by experimentally validate the results of the numerical models and define the best parameter settings for the problem situation studied.

Design/methodology/approach

The present work is an extension of the study by Verderio Junior et al. (2021), differing in the modeling, results analysis and conclusions for the laminar flow regime with Rade=1×105. The analysis of the influence and precision of the physical–numerical parameters: boundary conditions, degree of mesh refinement, refinement layers and κω SST and κε turbulence models, occurred from the results from 48 numerical models, which were simulated using the OpenFOAM® software. Comparing the experimental mean Nusselt number with the numerical values obtained in the simulations and the analysis of the relative errors were used in the evaluation of the advantages, restrictions and selection of the most adequate parameters to the studied problem situation.

Findings

The numerical results of the simulations were validated, with excellent precision, from the experimental reference by Kitamura et al. (2015). The application of the κω SST and κε turbulence models and the boundary conditions (with and without wall functions) were also physically validated. The use of the κω SST and κε turbulence models, in terms of cost-benefit and precision, proved to be inefficient in the problem situation studied. Simulations without turbulence models proved to be the best option for the physical model for the studies developed. The use of refinement layers, especially in applications with wall functions and turbulence models, proved unfeasible.

Practical implications

Use of the physical–numerical parameters studied and validated, and application of the modeling and analysis methodology developed in projects and optimizations of natural convection thermal systems in a laminar flow regime. Just like, reduce costs and the dependence on the construction of experimental apparatus to obtain experimental results and in the numerical-experimental validation process.

Social implications

Exclusive use of free and open-source computational tools as an alternative to feasible research in the computational fluid dynamics area in conditions of budget constraints and lack of higher value-added infrastructure, with applicability in the academic and industrial areas.

Originality/value

The results and discussions presented are original and new for the applied study of laminar natural convection in isothermal flat plate, with analysis and validation of the main physical and numerical influence parameters.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

To Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP), Araraquara campus and the Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Faculdade de Engenharia (FEB), Bauru campus for providing the workforce and the conditions to produce this research project.

Citation

Verdério Júnior, S.A., Scalon, V.L. and Oliveira, S.d.R. (2022), "Physical–numerical parameters in laminar simulations of natural convection on three-dimensional square plates", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 32 No. 6, pp. 2027-2046. https://doi.org/10.1108/HFF-07-2021-0478

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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