Experimental investigations on natural convection heat transfer around horizontal triangular ducts

Experimental investigations have been reported on steady-state natural convection from the outer surfaces of horizontal ducts with triangular cross sections in air. Two different horizontal positions are considered; in the first position, the vertex of the triangle faces up, while in the other position, the vertex faces down. Five equilateral triangular cross-section ducts have been used with cross-section side length of 0.044, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10, and 0.13 m. The ducts are heated using internal constant-heat-flux heating elements. The temperatures along the surface and peripheral directions of the duct wall are measured. Longitudinal (perimeter-averaged) heat transfer coefficients along the side of each duct are obtained for natural convection heat transfer. Total overall averaged heat transfer coefficients are also obtained. Longitudinal (perimeter-averaged) Nusselt numbers and the modified Rayleigh numbers are evaluated and correlated using different characteristic lengths. Furthermore, total overall averaged Nusselt numbers are correlated with the modified Rayleigh numbers. Moreover, a dimensionless temperature group was developed and correlated with the modified Rayleigh number. For the upward-facing case, laminar and transition regimes are obtained and characterized. However, for the downward-facing vertex case, only the transition regime is observed. The local (perimeter-averaged) or the overall total Nusselt numbers increase as the modified Rayleigh numbers increase in the transition regime. However, Nusselt numbers decrease as the modified Rayleigh numbers increase in the laminar regime.King Saud Universit