Longitudinal and Transverse Rolls in a Triangular Cavity

Natural convection in a triangular cavity is present in many domestic and industrial systems. Increasing investigators have been devoted to the study of natural convection and heat transfer in the triangular cavity due to its application in the attic design. In this study, the three dimensional (3D) numerical simulation of natural convection in the triangular cavity with the top cooling and the bottom heating has been carried out. The onset and development of natural convection flows in the cavity are investigated for various Rayleigh numbers and aspect ratios. The results show that the 3D structures of convection rolls in the cavity such as transversal rolls and longitudinal rolls, similar to the Rayleigh-Bénard-Poiseuille flow, are clear. The scenario of the roll formation is described.