Thermomagnetic natural convection of thermo-sensitive magnetic fluids in cubic cavity with heat generating object inside

Experiment and numerical study were conducted to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of a thermo-sensitive magnetic fluid (TSMF) filled in a cubic container with a heat generating square cylinder stick inside and under a uniform magnetic field. The experimental results show that, regardless of the heat generating object sizes, the heat transfer characteristic of the TSMF is enhanced when the magnetic field is applied to the TSMF. However, the heat transfer of the TSMF becomes poor as the size of the inside heat generating object increases because the space where the fluids go through becomes narrower and the flow is obstructed when the heat generating object size becomes bigger. Numerical simulation based on the Lattice Boltzmann method confirmed the experimental findings, and disclosed more flow details of the natural convection of the TSMF inside cavity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Materials Science, MultidisciplinaryPhysics, Condensed MatterSCI(E)EI7ARTICLE6698-70432