Numerical analysis of convective heat transfer in fenestration with between-the-glass louvered shades

A two-dimensional steady laminar natural convection model of a window cavity with between-panes louvers (i.e., slats) was developed by approximating the system as a vertical cavity with isothermal walls at different temperatures, and with rotatable baffles located midway between the walls. The baffles were set to a third temperature so that night-time and day-time conditions could be considered. The effects of wall spacing, baffle angle and temperature, and the wall-to-wall temperature difference were examined. It was found that the system is suited to a traditional one-dimensional analysis, and that the convective heat transfer is largely independent of the Rayleigh number for the conditions of practical interest.