Mixed convection heat transfer in a differentially heated square enclosure with a conductive rotating circular cylinder at different vertical locations

In this investigation, a numerical simulation using a finite volume scheme is carried out for a laminar steady mixed convection problem in a two-dimensional square enclosure of width and height (L), with a rotating circular cylinder of radius (R = 0.2 L) enclosed inside it. The solution is performed to analyze mixed convection in this enclosure where the left side wall is subjected to an isothermal temperature higher than the opposite right side wall. The upper and lower enclosure walls are considered adiabatic. The enclosure under study is filled with air with Prandtl number is taken as 0.71. Fluid flow and thermal fields and the average Nusselt number are presented for the Richardson numbers ranging as 0, 1, 5 and 10, while Reynolds number ranging as 50, 100, 200 and 300. The effects of various locations and solid–fluid thermal conductivity ratios on the heat transport process are studied in the present work. The results of the present investigation explain that increase in the Richardson and Reynolds numbers has a significant role on the flow and temperature fields and the rotating cylinder locations have an important effect in enhancing convection heat transfer in the square enclosure. The results explain also, that the average Nusselt number value increases as the Reynolds and Richardson numbers increase and the convection phenomenon is strongly affected by these parameters. The results showed a good agreement with further published works.