Effect of a Baffle on Mixed Convection Heat Transfer from an Open Cavity with Heat Sources

This paper presents a numerical investigation of mixed convection heat transfer from an open cavity in a horizontal channel. Three heat sources are located at the bottom of the cavity and a baffle hanging from the top wall of the channel. A free flow at a relatively lower temperature enters the channel and is expected to remove heat from the heat sources. The governing equations are solved numerically with a finite volume approach using the SIMPLE algorithm. The results of this study show that due to the existence of the baffle, the ventilation performance of the cavity is improved at low Richardson numbers, while it is deteriorated at high Richardson numbers. The length and location of the baffle also show to have a significant impact on the ventilation performance of the cavity.