Free Convection Between Series of Vertical Parallel Plates With Embedded Line Heat Sources

Laminar free convective heat transfer in channels formed between series of vertical parallel plates with an embedded line heat source was studied numerically. These channels resemble cooling passages in electronic equipment. The effect of a repeated boundary condition and wall conduction on mass flow rate (M), maximum surface temperature (θ_h,max and θ_c,max), and average surface Nusselt number (Nu_h and Nu_c) is discussed. Calculations were made for Gr*=10 to 10⁶, K=0.1, 1, 10, and 100, and t/B=0.1 and 0.3. The effect of a repeated boundary condition decreases the maximum hot surface temperature and increases the maximum cold surface temperature. The effect of a repeated boundary condition with wall conduction increases the mass flow rate. The maximum increase in mass flow rate due to wall conduction is found to be 155 percent. The maximum decrease in average hot surface Nusselt number due to wall conduction (t/B and K) occurs at Gr*=10⁶ and is 18 percent. Channels subjected to a repeated boundary condition approach that of a symmetrically heated channel subjected to uniform wall temperature conditions at K≥100.