Laminar Natural Convection Flow Over a Vertical Forward-Facing Step

Abstract

Measurements and predictions of laminar boundary-layer flow in natural convection over a vertical forward-facing step are reported. Laser Doppler velocimeter and cold-wire anemometer are used to simultaneously measure the velocity and temperature distributions, respectively. Flow visualization is also performed to determine the reattachment lengths. The upstream and downstream walls and the step itself are heated to a uniform and constant temperature. The experiment is carried out for a range of step heights 8 ≤ s ≤ 16 mm, temperature differences 6.5 ≤ ΔT ≤ 23°C between the heated wall and the freestream, and reference velocities 0.255 ≤ u* ≤ 0.48 m/s. These results reveal that the step height and the buoyancy force, induced by the temperature difference, significantly affect the velocity and temperature distributions and the rate of heat transfer from the heated wall. The measured results agree well with numerical predictions. Copyright © 1996 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0887-8722

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1996 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 1996

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS