A Finite Element Study of Heat and Fluid Flow through a Skirting Heater

This article describes a numerical study of buoyancy-driven laminar flow through an enclosure modelling a skirting heater used in building environ ment. The flow is induced by two heat sources of circular shape representing the flow and return pipes. A finite element method is used to solve the govern ing equations of momentum and energy in two dimensions. A combined con vection and radiation heat transfer coefficient coupled with an iterative proce dure have been used to set the wall boundary conditions. The flow field and temperature distribution within the enclosure are presented. The results also include the predicted distributions of the temperature along the enclosure walls which are in contact with the surrounding environment. The effects of changes in the basic geometry and its boundaries on the flow are also dis cussed. It is shown that the method can provide a means of optimizing the design of such heaters.