Numerical Study of Mixed Convection Heat Transfer of Nano fluid in a Ventilated Rectangular Enclosure

A finite-volume-based computational study of mixed convection heat transfer in a ventilated cavity is presented. The governing equations have been solved using SIMPLE algorithm on the staggered arrangement. Results are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms and heat transfer for different combinations of the governing parameters namely, the Richardson Number ( ), Cu nanoparticle volume fraction ( ) and the relative height of the openings ( ). At the outlet of the computational domain a convective boundary condition is used. The results indicate that the average Nusselt number and the dimensionless maximum surface temperature on heat sources strongly depend on the value of nanoparticle volume fraction. The basic nature of the resulting interaction between the forced external air stream and the buoyancy driven flow by heat source is explained by the pattern of streamlines and isotherms.