Laminar Convection Induced by a Line Heat Source: A Numerical Study

The present work is addressed to the numerical study of laminar natural convection in an open space and induced by a line heat source. The governing equations - Navier-Stokes and energy equations, are discretized in a staggered grid by a control volume approach, and they are solved using a segregated technique. Some of the physical and thermophysical properties of the fluid (air) such as density, thermal conductivity and viscosity were considered to vary with temperature. The present predictions are compared with that using the Boussinesq approximation, and with the results for the boundary layer equations. The present predictions reveal considerable departure from the Boussinesq-based solution and from the boundary layer results.