Flow and heat transfer over shallow cavities

The flow over a shallow cavity heated with constant heat flux form the bottom side has been studied experimentally and numerically. In the experimental part, pressure coefficient and Nusselt number have been measured along the cavity floor. In the numerical simulation, the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy have been solved. The standard k-omega turbulence model is used to account for the turbulent fluctuations. In both experimental and numerical part, the effect of changing cavity aspect ratio and Reynolds number has been studied. It is found that, a single elongated eddy has been formed for aspect ratio lower than 7. As the aspect ratio increases the flow impinges with the cavity floor creating two eddies, one beside the upstream cavity side and the second beside the downstream cavity side. Local Nusselt number along the cavity floor is affected mainly by the flow structure inside the cavity and the average Nusselt number has increased with increasing the aspect ratio up to 10 and with increasing Reynolds number. A correlation for the average Nusselt number, as a function of Reynolds number and cavity aspect ratio, is developed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.