Natural Convection Inside a Square Enclosure with an Array of Cylinders of Different Geometrical Configurations

The present study examines numerically the buoyancy-driven thermal transport dynamics when an array of heated cylinders of different geometry, namely circular, square and triangular embedded within a cold square enclosure at various positions in the horizontal mid-plane and the Rayleigh number (Ra) from 103 to 106. The heat transport is diffusion dominated for lower values of Ra, while convection becomes significant at higher Ra values. The rate of heat transfer is maximum for circular cylinders, and it is followed by square and triangular cylinders. It shows that the curvature of the embedded objects has a significant influence on altering the heat transport characteristics. It further reveals the intricate interplay between Ra, the spacing between the cylinders and the geometry of the cylinders on the thermal transport characteristics. © 2022, The Institution of Engineers (India).