Numerical Simulation of Mixed Convection in a Rotating Cylindrical Cavity: Influence of Prandtl Number

A numerical study of the flow and heat transfer on a rotating cylindrical cavity solving the mass, momentum, and energy equations is presented in this work. The study describes the influence of the Prandtl number on flow in critical state on a cavity which contains a cooling fluid. Problem studied includes Prandtl numbers 0.001 15, aspect ratios 0.25 1, and Reynolds numbers 0.001 600. Differential equations have been discretised using the finite differences method. The results show a tendency followed by heat transfer as the Reynolds number increases from 300 to 600; in addition, emphasis on the critical values of the Rayleigh number for small Prandtl numbers shows that thermal instability in mixed convection depends on the Prandtl number.