Investigation of Thermo-Hydraulics in a Lid-Driven Square Cavity with a Heated Hemispherical Obstacle at the Bottom

Abstract

Lid-driven cavity (LDC) flow is a significant area of study in fluid mechanics due to its common occurrence in engineering challenges. However, using numerical simulations (ANSYS Fluent) to accurately predict fluid flow and mixed convective heat transfer features, incorporating both a moving top wall and a heated hemispherical obstruction at the bottom, has not yet been attempted. This study aims to numerically demonstrate forced convection in a lid-driven square cavity (LDSC) with a moving top wall and a heated hemispherical obstacle at the bottom. The cavity is filled with a Newtonian fluid and subjected to a specific set of velocities (5, 10, 15, and 20 m/s) at the moving wall. The finite volume method is used to solve the governing equations using the Boussinesq approximation and the parallel flow assumption. The impact of various cavity geometries, as well as the influence of the moving top wall on fluid flow and heat transfer within the cavity, are evaluated. The results of this study indicate that the movement of the wall significantly disrupts the flow field inside the cavity, promoting excellent mixing between the flow field below the moving wall and within the cavity. The static pressure exhibits fluctuations, with the highest value observed at the top of the cavity of 1 m width (adjacent to the moving wall) and the lowest at 0.6 m. Furthermore, dynamic pressure experiences a linear increase until reaching its peak at 0.7 m, followed by a steady decrease toward the moving wall. The velocity of the internal surface fluctuates unpredictably along its length while other parameters remain relatively stable.