ABSTRACT:
Laminar natural convection heat transfer from two horizontally aligned square cylinders has been investigated numerically using a finite-volume method (FVM). Computations were performed to delineate the momentum and heat transfer characteristics under the following ranges of parameters: horizontal spacing between the cylinders (0 ≤ S/W ≤ 10), tilt angle of the square cylinder (00≤δ ≤ 600), and Grashof number (10 ≤ Gr ≤ 105) for some specific Newtonian fluids having Prandtl number (0.71 ≤ Pr ≤ 7). Computed results are presented in terms of temperature contours and streamlines, velocity and temperature profiles, the mass flow rate in the passage between the cylinders, local and average Nu, and the drag coefficient. The average Nu increases with decrease in the horizontal spacing up to a certain limit, whereas it significantly degrades with a further decrease in the spacing. The square cylinder having δ = 450 shows a higher heat transfer, whereas it is least for δ = 00. At higher Gr and Pr, the average Nu is found to be in excess of 22% at δ = 450 compared to at δ = 00. Overall, the average Nu has a strong dependence on both Gr and Pr, whereas it is a weak function of S/W and δ. Furthermore, the total drag coefficient (Cd) shows an adverse dependence on both Gr and Pr. The flow resistance is higher at the optimum horizontal spacing and decreases significantly with decrease in the spacing. The Cd is found to be lower for δ = 450 and in excess of 30% at δ = 00. Finally, a correlation for the average Nu has been developed, which can be useful for some engineering calculations.
