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This paper aims to conduct numerical simulations to investigate steady-state laminar Rayleigh–Bénard convection of yield stress fluids obeying Bingham model in rectangular cross-sectional cylindrical annular enclosures. In this investigation, axisymmetric simulations have been carried out for nominal Rayleigh number range Ra = 10³ to 10⁵, aspect ratio range AR = 0.25 to 4 (i.e. AR = H/L where H is the enclosure height and L is the difference between outer and inner radii) and normalised inner radius range r_i/L = 0 to 16 (where r_i is internal cylinder radius) for a nominal representative Prandtl number Pr = 500. Both constant wall temperature (CWT) and constant wall heat flux (CWHF) boundary conditions have been considered for differentially heated horizontal walls to analyse the effects of wall boundary condition.

The bi-viscosity Bingham model is used to mimic Bingham fluids for Rayleigh–Bénard convection of Bingham fluids in vertical cylindrical annuli. The conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy have been solved in a coupled manner using the finite volume method where a second-order central differencing scheme is used for the diffusive terms and a second-order up-wind scheme is used for the convective terms. The well-known semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations algorithm is used for the coupling of the pressure and velocity.

It is found that the convective transport strengthens (weakens) with an increase in Ra (AR) for both Newtonian (i.e. Bn = 0) and Bingham fluids, regardless of the boundary conditions. Moreover, the strength of convection is stronger in the CWT configuration than that is for CWHF boundary condition due to higher temperature difference between horizontal walls for both Newtonian (i.e. Bn = 0) and Bingham fluids. The mean Nusselt number Nūcy does not show a monotonic increase with increasing Ra for AR = 1 and r_i/L = 4 because of the change in flow pattern (i.e. number of convection rolls/cells) in the CWT boundary condition, whereas a monotonic increase of Nūcy with increasing Ra is obtained for the CWHF configuration. In addition, Nūcy increases with increasing r_i/L and asymptotically approaches the corresponding value obtained for rectangular enclosures (r_i/L → ∞) for both CWT and CWHF boundary conditions for large values of r_i/L. It is also found that both the flow pattern and the mean Nusselt number Nūcy are dependent on the initial conditions for Bingham fluid cases, as hysteresis is evident for AR = 1 for both CWT and CWHF boundary conditions.

Finally, the numerical findings have been used to propose a correlation for Nūcy in the range of 0.25 ≤ r_i/L ≤ 16, 0.25 ≤ AR ≤ 2 and 5 × 10⁴ ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁵ for the CWHF configuration.

This paper aims to numerically analyse natural convection of yield stress fluids in rectangular cross-sectional cylindrical annular enclosures. The laminar steady-state simulations have been conducted for a range of different values of normalised internal radius (r_i/L 1/8 to 16, where L is the difference between outer and inner radii); aspect ratio (AR = H/L from 1/8 to 8 where H is the enclosure height); and nominal Rayleigh number (Ra from 10³ to 10⁶) for a single representative value of Prandtl number (Pr is 500).

The Bingham model has been used to mimic the yield stress fluid motion, and numerical simulations have been conducted for both constant wall temperature (CWT) and constant wall heat flux (CWHF) boundary conditions for the vertical side walls. The conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy have been solved in a coupled manner using the finite volume method where a second-order central differencing scheme is used for the diffusive terms and a second-order up-wind scheme is used for the convective terms. The well-known semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations algorithm is used for the coupling of the pressure and velocity.

It is found that the mean Nusselt number based on the inner periphery Nu¯_i increases (decreases) with an increase in Ra (Bn) due to augmented buoyancy (viscous) forces irrespective of the boundary condition. The ratio of convective to diffusive thermal transport increases with increasing r_i/L for both Newtonian (i.e. Bn = 0) and Bingham fluids regardless of the boundary condition. Moreover, the mean Nusselt number Nu¯_i normalised by the corresponding Nusselt number due to pure conductive transport (i.e. Nu¯_i/(Nu¯_i)_cond) shows a non-monotonic trend with increasing AR in the CWT configuration for a given set of values of Ra, Pr, L_i for both Newtonian (i.e. Bn = 0) and Bingham fluids, whereas Nu¯_i/(Nu¯_i)_cond increases monotonically with increasing AR in the CWHF configuration. The influences of convective thermal transport strengthen while thermal diffusive transport weakens with increasing AR, and these competing effects are responsible for the non-monotonic Nu¯_i/(Nu¯_i)_cond variation with AR in the CWT configuration.

Detailed scaling analysis is utilised to explain the observed influences of Ra, BN, r_i/L and AR, which along with the simulation data has been used to propose correlations for Nu¯_i.

This paper aims to investigate the aspect ratio (AR; ratio of enclosure height:length) dependence of steady-state Rayleigh–Bénard convection of Bingham fluids within rectangular enclosures for both constant wall temperature and constant wall heat flux boundary conditions. A nominal Rayleigh number range 103 ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁵ (Ra defined based on the height) for a single representative value of nominal Prandtl number (i.e. Pr = 500) has been considered for 1/4 ≤ AR ≤ 4.

The bi-viscosity Bingham model is used to mimic Bingham fluids for Rayleigh–Bénard convection of Bingham fluids in rectangular enclosures. The conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy have been solved in a coupled manner using the finite volume method where a second-order central differencing scheme is used for the diffusive terms and a second-order up-wind scheme is used for the convective terms. The well-known semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations algorithm is used for the coupling of the pressure and velocity.

It has been found that buoyancy-driven flow strengthens with increasing nominal Rayleigh number Ra, but the convective transport weakens with increasing Bingham number Bn, because of additional flow resistance arising from yield stress in Bingham fluids. The relative contribution of thermal conduction (advection) to the total thermal transport strengthens (diminishes) with increasing AR for a given set of values of Ra and Pr for both Newtonian and Bingham fluids for both boundary conditions, and the thermal transport takes place purely because of conduction for tall enclosures.

Correlations for the mean Nusselt number Nu ¯ have been proposed for both boundary conditions for both Newtonian and Bingham fluids using scaling arguments, and the correlations have been demonstrated to predict Nu ¯ obtained from simulation data for 1/4 ≤ AR ≤ 4, 10³ ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁵ and Pr = 500.

In this paper, we present a modified k‐ε model capable of addressing turbulent weld‐pool convection in the presence of a continuously evolving phase‐change interface during a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The phase change aspects of the present problem are addressed using a modified enthalpy‐porosity technique. The k‐ε model is suitably modified to account for the morphology of the solid‐liquid interface. The two‐dimensional mathematical model is subsequently utilised to simulate a typical GTAW process with high power, where effects of turbulent transport can actually be realised. Finally, we compare the results from turbulence modelling with the corresponding results from a laminar model, keeping all processing parameters unaltered. The above comparison enables us to analyse the effects of turbulent transport during the arc welding process.

Numerical simulations have been used to analyse steady-state natural convection of non-Newtonian power-law fluids in a square cross-sectioned cylindrical annular cavity for differentially heated vertical walls for a range of different values of nominal Rayleigh number, nominal Prandtl number and power-law exponent (i.e. 103 < Ra < 106, 102 < Pr < 104 and 0.6 < n < 1.8). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Analysis is carried out using finite-volume based numerical simulations.

Under the assumption of axisymmetry, it has been shown that the mean Nusselt number on the inner periphery Nu _i increases with decreasing (increasing) power-law exponent (nominal Rayleigh number) due to strengthening of thermal advection. However, Nu _i is observed to be essentially independent of nominal Prandtl number. It has been demonstrated that Nu _i decreases with increasing internal cylinder radius normalised by its height r _i /L before asymptotically approaching the mean Nusselt number for a two-dimensional square enclosure in the limit r _i /L→infinity. By contrast, the mean Nusselt number normalised by the corresponding Nusselt number for pure conductive transport (i.e. Nu _i /Nu _cond ) increases with increasing r _i /L.

A correlation for Nu _i has been proposed based on scaling arguments, which satisfactorily captures the mean Nusselt number obtained from the steady-state axisymmetric simulations.