Natural convection flow in a horizontal annulus with an oscillating inner cylinder using Lagrangian–Eulerian kinematics

In this article, the natural convection flow in a horizontal annulus enclosure with a transversely oscillating inner cylinder is studied numerically. The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian kinematics description method is utilized to simulate flow and temperature fields. The finite element method is used to solve the governing equations. The effect of Rayleigh number, oscillating eccentricity, and oscillating frequency of the inner cylinder on the flow structure and heat transfer is presented. The results are validated with published results for a stationary inner cylinder case with different eccentricities. The results indicate that the oscillating inner cylinder highly affects the average Nusselt number at the inner cylinder. However, the oscillating eccentricity and frequency of the inner cylinder have a negative effect on the Nusselt number at the outer cylinder.