TY - GEN
T1 - Buoyancy-driven circulation flow of an electrically conductive liquid in a rectangular annulus
AU - Li, Peiwen
AU - Chan, Cho Lik
AU - Chen, C. F.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - A study on the characteristics of a buoyancy-driven flow in a rectangular circulation channel in a solar-energy-harvesting device is presented in this paper. The solar-energy-harvesting device is projected to convert solar radiation into electrical energy. As a first step of the energy conversion in the device, a flow is generated by an imbalance of buoyancy forces in the heating and cooling sections for a liquid in the circulation channel. Whereas solar energy is collected to provide the heat, free convection of ambient air provides the cooling in the device. The fluid used in the circulation channel is electrically conductive and has high thermal expansion coefficient. The present investigation focuses on the effects of channel dimensions on the buoyancy-driven flow field and uniformities of velocities. Both analytical and numerical approaches are applied in the study. Analytical closed-form solution is obtained by assuming uni-direction flow. Steady-state two-dimensional laminar solutions are obtained by numerical computation using QUICK scheme and SIMPLE algorithm.
AB - A study on the characteristics of a buoyancy-driven flow in a rectangular circulation channel in a solar-energy-harvesting device is presented in this paper. The solar-energy-harvesting device is projected to convert solar radiation into electrical energy. As a first step of the energy conversion in the device, a flow is generated by an imbalance of buoyancy forces in the heating and cooling sections for a liquid in the circulation channel. Whereas solar energy is collected to provide the heat, free convection of ambient air provides the cooling in the device. The fluid used in the circulation channel is electrically conductive and has high thermal expansion coefficient. The present investigation focuses on the effects of channel dimensions on the buoyancy-driven flow field and uniformities of velocities. Both analytical and numerical approaches are applied in the study. Analytical closed-form solution is obtained by assuming uni-direction flow. Steady-state two-dimensional laminar solutions are obtained by numerical computation using QUICK scheme and SIMPLE algorithm.
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U2 - 10.1115/HT2007-32289
DO - 10.1115/HT2007-32289
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:43449105598
SN - 0791842746
SN - 9780791842744
T3 - 2007 Proceedings of the ASME/JSME Thermal Engineering Summer Heat Transfer Conference - HT 2007
SP - 865
EP - 871
BT - 2007 Proceedings of the ASME/JSME Thermal Engineering Summer Heat Transfer Conference - HT 2007
T2 - 2007 ASME/JSME Thermal Engineering Summer Heat Transfer Conference, HT 2007
Y2 - 8 July 2007 through 12 July 2007
ER -