Asymptotic approach to obtain nusselt number correlation for laminar mixed convection in a vertical channel

Abstract

In this paper, a general methodology is proposed for treating mixed convection problems in a vertical channel by the concept of asymptotic computational fluid dynamics (ACFD). Average Nusselt number is developed based on the limiting solutions of natural and forced convection.These correlations are then blended to find a unified composite correlation that work very well for extreme limits of mixed convection. For the purpose of demonstration, the problem of 2-D laminar, mixed convection in a vertical channel that comprises of a heater sandwiched between two aluminum plates has been used. Numerical simulations are performed with ANSYS-FLUENT to generate the required correlation. The study proposed in this work reveals that with minimum CFD solutions one can obtain a reasonably good composite correlation for the Nusselt number. © 2018 by the authors of the abstracts.