International Journal of
Physical Sciences

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Phys. Sci.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1992-1950
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJPS
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 2574

Full Length Research Paper

Numerical study of unsteady Rayleigh-Benard instabilities in a Newtonian fluid confined in an enclosure bounded by two paraboloidal surfaces differentially heated

Samba Dia, Cheikh Mbow* and Joseph Sarr
Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et Applications Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Université Cheikh Anta DIOP Dakar- Fann, Sénégal.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Published: 09 February 2012

Abstract

Using a paraboloidal coordinate system and a vorticity- stream function formulation, the authors studied numerically the two-dimensional unsteady natural convection of a Newtonian fluid confined between two paraboloids of revolution with vertical axes. The opening on the upward surface is heated up with a constant temperature, while the rest remains thermally isolated. The downward opening on the upper surface is completely cooled. A spatial discretization based on finite volume method is used to approximate the dimensionless equations of vorticity, heat and stream function. A fully implicit scheme is adopted for time discretization and algebraic systems obtained are solved by a successive under relaxation method. The authors analyzed the effects of the control parameter like the Rayleigh number on the dynamics of the system. The results obtained are related to Rayleigh numbers between 105 and 107.

 

Key words: Convection, paraboloid, paraboloidal coordinate system, finite volume method.

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