Thermal convection and radiation in a rotating cabinet with time-dependent heat-generated solid element and heat-conducting solid walls

Purpose This paper aims to study numerically the simulation of convective–radiative heat transfer under an effect of variable thermally generating source in a rotating square chamber. The performed analysis deals with a development of passive cooling system for the electronic devices. Design/methodology/approach The domain of interest of size H rotating at a fixed angular velocity has heat-conducting solid walls with a constant cooling temperature for the outer boundaries of the vertical walls and with thermal insulation for the outer borders of the horizontal walls. The chamber has a heater on the bottom wall with a time-dependent volumetric heat generation. The internal surfaces of the walls and the energy element are both grey diffusive emitters and reflectors. The fluid is transparent to radiation. Computational model has been written using non-dimensional parameters and worked out by the finite difference technique. The effect of the angular velocity, volumetric heat generation frequency and surface emissivity has been studied and described in detail. Findings The results show that growth of the surface emissivity leads to a diminution of the mean heater temperature, while a weak rotation can improve the energy transport for low volumetric thermal generation frequency. Originality/value An efficient computational approach has been used to work out this problem. The originality of this work is to analyze complex (conductive–convective–radiative) energy transport in a rotating system with a local element of time-dependent volumetric heat generation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, an interaction of major heat transfer mechanisms in a rotating system with a heat-generating element is scrutinized for the first time. The results would benefit scientists and engineers to become familiar with the analysis of complex heat transfer in rotating enclosures with internal heat-generating units, and the way to predict the heat transfer rate in advanced technical systems, in industrial sectors including transportation, power generation, chemical sectors and electronics.

Impacts of Heat-Conducting Solid Wall and Heat-Generating Element on Free Convection of Al2O3/H2O Nanofluid in a Cavity with Open Border

Development of modern electronic devices demands a creation of effective cooling systems in the form of active or passive nature. More optimal technique for an origination of such cooling arrangement is a mathematical simulation taking into account the major physical processes which define the considered phenomena. Thermogravitational convection in a partially open alumina-water nanoliquid region under the impacts of constant heat generation element and heat-conducting solid wall is analyzed numerically. A solid heat-conducting wall is a left vertical wall cooled from outside, while a local solid element is placed on the base and kept at constant volumetric heat generation. The right border is supposed to be partially open in order to cool the local heater. The considered domain of interest is an electronic cabinet, while the heat-generating element is an electronic chip. Partial differential equations of mathematical physics formulated in non-primitive variables are worked out by the second order finite difference method. Influences of the Rayleigh number, heat-transfer capacity ratio, location of the local heater and nanoparticles volume fraction on liquid circulation and thermal transmission are investigated. It was ascertained that an inclusion of nanosized alumina particles to the base liquid can lead to the average heater temperature decreasing, that depends on the heater location and internal volumetric heat generation. Therefore, an inclusion of nanoparticles inside the host liquid can essentially intensify the heat removal from the heater that is the major challenge in different engineering applications. Moreover, an effect of nanosized alumina particles is more essential in the case of low intensive convective flow and when the heater is placed near the cooling wall.