Numerical investigation of turbulent mixed convection in an open cavity: Effect of inlet and outlet openings

This paper deals with the numerical investigation of heat transfer by mixed convection inside ventilated cavities with supply and exhaust slots, and filled with air under a steady and turbulent flow regime. Four configurations, rated A, B, C and D are considered here, according to the position of the inlet and outlet air ports: A, the inlet is on the top of the left vertical wall, while the outlet is on the bottom of the right vertical wall; B, the inlet is on the bottom of the left vertical wall and the outlet at the top of the opposite wall; C, the two slots are on the same side, i.e. the inlet is at the bottom and the outlet at the top of the left vertical wall, and D, the inlet is at the top and the outlet at the bottom of the left vertical wall. The bottom of the cavity is kept at a temperature TH and other walls are fixed at a temperature TC, with TH>TC. The cavity is provided with two slots: an inlet slot for introducing fresh air, and an outlet slot to extract hot air. The main aim sought here is to analyze the ventilation efficiency for temperature distribution, and fix the best configuration providing the thermal comfort targeted. We also address the influence of heating on the behavior of flow and thermal comfort, while considering different Rayleigh numbers ranging from 6.4×108 to 3.2×109. Numerical studies have been yet devoted to these configurations, using RANS simulations. The RNG k-ε turbulence model has been adopted for the turbulence closure, and the set of governing equations was then numerically solved via the finite volume method. The SIMPLEC algorithm was associated to ensure the pressure-velocity coupling. In terms of results achieved, the configuration D provides a better ventilation effectiveness for temperature distribution εT and ensures an even temperature in the occupied zone. As for configurations A and C, they maintain an acceptable level of heat and can be used in winter period to ensure good indoor air quality, while configuration B provides an efficiency close to unity and can be used to insure indoor air quality in temperate climate zones.