Parallel flow convection in a shallow horizontal cavity filled with non-Newtonian power-law fluids and subject to horizontal and vertical uniform heat fluxes

Natural convection heat transfer in a shallow horizontal rectangular enclosure is considered. The enclosure contains non-Newtonian fluids and is exposed to cross-gradients of temperatures. The power-law model is used to characterize the non-Newtonian fluid behavior. Analytical solution is obtained in the central region of the cavity in terms of stream function and temperature fields, assuming a parallel flow in the central part of the enclosure. The analytical results are compared against the numerical solution, obtained by solving the full governing equations using a finite difference method. It is demonstrated that multiple steady state convective flows are possible.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye