An Experimental Study of Natural Convection in Trapezoidal Enclosures

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Abstract
Experimental data for natural convection of air in an inclined trapezoidal enclosure are reported for a Rayleigh number range of ∼ 2 × 103 to ∼ 5 × 107 . The small side of the trapezoid was electrically heated while the opposing large side was cooled to a uniform temperature. The effect of tilt angle from 0 to 90 deg (from horizontal) was investigated at 15 deg increments. Data were also obtained for 180 deg (hot surface facing down). A comparison of the data to an analysis using a two-dimensional circulation pattern showed reasonable agreement in the Rayleigh number-tilt angle range where two-dimensional circulation could be expected. The experimental data are correlated by an equation of the form, Nu = C Ran , over a wide Rayleigh number range. The data exhibit a local minimum in the Nusselt number-tilt angle curve between 90 and 0 deg in a manner similar to that observed in inclined rectangular channels.

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