Comparison of local hat transfer distribution between closed and open cavity for different Rayleigh number and inclination angles

The numerical analysis of heat transfers and flow patterns in a closed cubic cavity for different combinations of Rayleigh number and inclination angles has been considered in the present study. From the literature, it is observed that several studies have been carried out in the parlance of convective heat transfer in closed as well as in open cavities. The main objective of the earlier studies was to capture the variation in average Nusselt number with different influencing parameters. However, the present study is concerned with the comparisons of the patterns of heat transfer distribution at the hot wall between closed and open cavities for different combinations of Rayleigh numbers and inclinations. From the present study, it is interesting to note that, at 90° inclination results have similar patterns of the heat transfer distribution for all the values of Rayleigh numbers even though these cases have quite large difference in average Nusselt numbers. While at 30° inclination, significant differences in the heat transfer patterns is observed in closed cavity compared to that of the corresponding open cavity. The plausible reason for getting this difference, the vortex flow, stream ribbons and the isotherms have also been studied at different surfaces of the cavity.