Natural convection flow around heated disk in cubical enclosure

In this study, a numerical analysis of the natural convection characteristics around a circular disk in a cubical enclosure was carried out. The disk and the enclosure were used to simulate a wafer placed in a front-opening unified pod. The disk position, size, and temperature were considered as the main variables, and the effects of each variable on the isotherm, streamline, and local Nusselt number were examined. The results confirmed that the disk position and size in an enclosure had greater effects on the natural convection flow pattern than the disk temperature. Because air flowed in from the edge of the disk, the local Nusselt number was the highest at the edge of the disk. It was also found that a large disk size generated a plume and formed a new thermal boundary layer.