Laminar free convection of the mixing flows in vertical channels

This paper is concerned with the numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of the laminar mixing flow within a vertical channel. Free convection flows are induced by buoyant force from the subchannels and mix upward in the downstream main channel. The parabolic boundary layer equations are solved to obtain the velocity, temperature, and pressure distributions for the whole flow field, as well as Nusselt numbers along the plate walls. In the computation, the parallel side walls are considered isothermal and heating is symmetric. Results for both isothermal and isoflux central plate cases are presented. The mixing phenomena are investigated, and the influence of the central plate on the heat transfer performance is also evaluated.