Magnetic Field Effect on Natural Convection in a Nanofluid-filled Square Cavity with Two Thick Fins

Laminar natural convection of Cu-water nanofluid in the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field in the square cavity with two fins attached to the isothermal sidewalls has been studied numerically. The governing equations with the respective boundary conditions are solved by using the finite volume method and the SIMPLER algorithm. The computations are performed for various Rayleigh numbers, Hartmann number and the volume fraction of nano-particles. In this study, the Rayleigh number ranges from 103 to 105, Hartmann number is considered 0, 50, 100 and the volume fraction of nano-particles ranges from 0 to 0.1. It is observed when the magnetic field is relatively strengthened, the thermal field resembles that of a conductive distribution, and the fluid in much of the interior is nearly stagnant. It is also found that the average Nusselt number and absolute value of stream function decrease by increasing the Hartmann number but the average Nusselt number increases by increasing volume fraction of nanoparticles.

Keywords:

Fin , Magnetic field , Nanofluid , Natural convection , Square cavity