scholarly journals A numerical study of free convective heat transfer in a double-glazed window with a between-pane Venetian blind

Author(s):  
Tony Avedissian

The free convective heat transfer in a double-glazed window with a between-pane Venetian blind has been studied numerically. The model geometry consists of a two-dimensional vertical cavity with a set of internal slats, centred between the glazings. Approximately 700 computational fluid dynamic solutions were conducted, including a grid sensitivity study. A wide set of geometrical and thermo-physical conditions was considered. Blind width to cavity width ratios of 0.5, 0.65, 0.8, and 0.9 were studied, along with three slat angles, 0º (fully open, +/- 45º (partially open), and 75º (closed). The blind to fluid thermal conductivity ratio was set to 15 and 4600. Cavity aspects of 20, 40, and 60, were examined over a Rayleigh number range of 10 to 10⁵, with the Prandtl number equal to 0.71. The resulting convective heat transfer data are presented in terms of average Nusselt numbers. Depending on the specific window/blind geometry, the solutions indicate that the blind can either reduce or enhance the convective heat transfer rate across the glazings. The present study does not consider radiation effects in the numerical solution. Therefore, a post-processing algorithm is presented that incorporates the convective and radiative influences, in order to determine the overall heat transfer rate across the window/blind system.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Avedissian

The free convective heat transfer in a double-glazed window with a between-pane Venetian blind has been studied numerically. The model geometry consists of a two-dimensional vertical cavity with a set of internal slats, centred between the glazings. Approximately 700 computational fluid dynamic solutions were conducted, including a grid sensitivity study. A wide set of geometrical and thermo-physical conditions was considered. Blind width to cavity width ratios of 0.5, 0.65, 0.8, and 0.9 were studied, along with three slat angles, 0º (fully open, +/- 45º (partially open), and 75º (closed). The blind to fluid thermal conductivity ratio was set to 15 and 4600. Cavity aspects of 20, 40, and 60, were examined over a Rayleigh number range of 10 to 10⁵, with the Prandtl number equal to 0.71. The resulting convective heat transfer data are presented in terms of average Nusselt numbers. Depending on the specific window/blind geometry, the solutions indicate that the blind can either reduce or enhance the convective heat transfer rate across the glazings. The present study does not consider radiation effects in the numerical solution. Therefore, a post-processing algorithm is presented that incorporates the convective and radiative influences, in order to determine the overall heat transfer rate across the window/blind system.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
J. T. Paul

Top Down – Bottom Up blinds have become quite popular in recent times. However the effects of such blind systems on the convective heat transfer from the window to the surrounding room have not been extensively studied and the effect of solar irradiation of the blind on the window heat transfer has not received significant attention. The purpose of the present work was therefore to numerically investigate the effect of solar irradiation of Top Down – Bottom Up slatted blinds on this convective heat transfer. An approximate model of the window-blind system has been adopted. The solar radiation falling on the blinds is assumed to produce a uniform rate of heat generation in the blind. The Boussinesq approximation has been used. Radiant heat transfer effects have been neglected. Conditions under which laminar, transitional and turbulent flows occur have been considered. The main emphasis is on the effect of the magnitude of the irradiation and of the size of the blind openings at the top and bottom of the window on the convective heat transfer rate from the window to the room.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
David Naylor

The horizontal frame members that often protrude from the inner surface of a window can significantly effect the convective heat transfer rate from this inner surface to the room. The purpose of the present numerical study was to determine how the size of a pair of horizontal frame members effect this heat transfer rate. The flow has been assumed to be steady and conditions under which laminar, transitional, and turbulent flows occur are considered. Fluid properties have been assumed constant except for the density change with temperature that gives rise to the buoyancy forces, this being dealt with using the Boussinesq approach. The governing equations have been solved using the FLUENT commercial CFD code. The k-epsilon turbulence model with standard wall functions and with buoyancy force effects fully accounted for has been used. The solution has the following parameters: the Rayleigh number, the Prandtl number, the dimensionless window recess depth, and the dimensionless width and depth of the frame members. Results have been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.74.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
D. Naylor

The vertical and horizontal frame members that often protrude from the inner surface of a window can, in some situations, have a significant effect on the convective heat transfer rate from the inner (room-side) surface of the window to the room. The purpose of the present numerical study was to determine, in a basic way, how the relative size of a single horizontal frame member mounted in the center of the window affects this convective heat transfer rate. A recessed window has been considered. The flow has been assumed to be steady and both laminar and turbulent flows have been considered. Fluid properties have been assumed constant except for the density change with temperature that gives rise to the buoyancy forces, this being dealt with using the Boussinesq approach. The governing equations have been solved using the FLUENT commercial cfd code. The k-epsilon turbulence model with standard wall functions and with buoyancy force effects fully accounted for has been used in the calculations. The solution has the following parameters: the Rayleigh number, the Prandtl number, the dimensionless horizontal distance between the inner window surface and the inner surface of the wall in which the window is mounted (the dimensionless recess depth), and the dimensionless width and depth of the frame member. Results have only been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.74, which is effectively the value for air, and for single values of the dimensionless window recess depth and of the dimensionless frame height. The effects of the other dimensionless variables on the window Nusselt number have been numerically studied.


Author(s):  
Patrick H. Oosthuizen ◽  
Lan Sun ◽  
David Naylor

Free convective heat transfer from a wide heated vertical isothermal plate with adiabatic surfaces above and below the heated surface has been considered. There are a series of equally spaced vertical thin, flat surfaces (termed “slats”) near the heated surface, these surfaces being, in general, inclined to the heated surface. The slats are pivoted about their center-point and thus as their angle is changed, the distance of the tip of the slat from the plate changes. The temperature of the vertical isothermal surfaces has been assumed to be greater than the ambient temperature. Various cases have been considered to examine the effect of the geometry of the adiabatic surfaces above and below the heated plate, the effect of heat conduction in the slats and the effect of heat generation in the slats. The situation considered is an approximate model of a window with a vertical blind, the particular case where the window is hotter than the room air being considered. The heat generation that can occur in the slats is then the result of solar energy passing through the window and being absorbed by the slats. The flow has been assumed to be laminar and steady. Fluid properties have been assumed constant except for the density change with temperature that gives rise to the buoyancy forces. The governing equations have been written in dimensionless form and the resulting dimensionless equations have been solved using a commercial finite-element package. Because of the application that motivated the study, results have only been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.7. The effect of the other dimensionless variables on the mean dimensionless heat transfer rate from the heated surface has been examined.


1986 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Nelson ◽  
E. J. Shaughnessy

The enhancement of convective heat transfer by an electric field is but one aspect of the complex thermoelectric phenomena which arise from the interaction of fluid dynamic and electric fields. Our current knowledge of this area is limited to a very few experimental studies. There has been no formal analysis of the basic coupling modes of the Navier–Stokes and Maxwell equations which are developed in the absence of any appreciable magnetic fields. Convective flows in enclosures are particularly sensitive because the limited fluid volumes, recirculation, and generally low velocities allow the relatively weak electric body force to exert a significant influence. In this work, the modes by which the Navier–Stokes equations are coupled to Maxwell’s equations of electrodynamics are reviewed. The conditions governing the most significant coupling modes (Coulombic forces, Joule heating, permittivity gradients) are then derived within the context of a first-order theory of electrohydrodynamics. Situations in which these couplings may have a profound effect on the convective heat transfer rate are postulated. The result is an organized framework for controlling the heat transfer rate in enclosures.


Author(s):  
Junxiang Shi ◽  
Jingwen Hu ◽  
Steven R. Schafer ◽  
Chung-Lung (C. L. ) Chen

Thermal diffusion in a developed thermal boundary layer is considered as an obstacle for improving the forced convective heat transfer rate of a channel flow. In this work, a novel, self-agitating method that takes advantage of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is introduced to disrupt the thermal boundary layer and thereby enhance the thermal performance. A flexible cylinder is placed at the centerline of a rectangular channel. The vortex shedding due to the cylinder gives rise to a periodic vibration of the cylinder. Consequently, the flow-structure-interaction (FSI) strengthens the disruption of the thermal boundary layer by vortex interaction with the walls, and improves the mixing process. This new concept for enhancing the convective heat transfer rate is demonstrated by a three-dimensional modeling study at different Reynolds numbers (84∼168). The fluid dynamics and thermal performance are analyzed in terms of vortex dynamics, temperature fields, local and average Nusselt numbers, and pressure loss. The channel with the self-agitated cylinder is verified to significantly increase the convective heat transfer coefficient. When the Reynolds number is 168, the channel with the VIV improves the average Nu by 234.8% and 51.4% as opposed to the clean channel and the channel with a stationary cylinder, respectively.


Author(s):  
Shafi Noor ◽  
M. Monjurul Ehsan ◽  
M. S. Mayeed ◽  
A. K. M. Sadrul Islam

Convective heat transfer rate for turbulent flow using nanofluid through both plain and corrugated channel has been investigated numerically in the present study. Three different types of nanofluids namely Al2O3-water, TiO2-water and CuO-water of different volume fractions (1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%), are used as the working fluid flowing through the channel. The corrugated channels have wall geometries of trapezoidal shape of different amplitude-wavelength ratios. Grid independence study was carried out for all the geometries. The obtained results in case of base fluid-water flowing through parallel plate channel have been validated with well-established correlations. The study has been conducted by finite volume method to solve the transport equation for the momentum, energy and turbulence quantities using single phase model of the nanofluids where the thermophysical properties of the nanofluids are calculated by using different correlations from the literature. In this study, the heat transfer enhancement using nanofluids compared to that using base fluid-water is presented for a range of Reynolds number- 15000 to 40000. The pumping power required for the flow through the channels increases with the increase in the viscosity of the fluid which justifies the increase in pumping power requirement in case of nanofluids compared to that with water. While using corrugation at the wall of the channels, in addition to the enhancement in the convective heat transfer rate, there is an increase in the pumping power requirement for the same Reynolds number. However, for a given requirement of heat transfer rate, the required pumping power can be reduced by using nanofluids. This study includes the trend and limit of volume fraction of nanofluid during this pumping power reduction phenomenon. The results show that with the increase in the volume fraction of the nanofluids, the convective heat transfer rate increases which is same for all the geometries of the fluid domain. Addition of nanofluid reduces the pumping power requirement for a constant heat transfer rate. The volume fraction of the nanofluids with which the maximum reduction of pumping power takes place at the optimum working condition is also found in the present study. This study draws a comparison among three different nanofluids in terms of the enhancement in the convective heat transfer rate and corresponding pumping power requirement for the flow through the trapezoidal shaped corrugated channel of various amplitude-wavelength ratios in order to find out the best nanofluids for its optimum results within a specified range of working conditions.


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