Int. J. Adv. Sci. Eng. Vol.11 No.4 4666-4678 (2025) 4666 E-ISSN: 2349 5359; P-ISSN: 2454-9967
Manjula et al.,
International Journal of Advanced Science and Engineering www.mahendrapublications.com
Influence of Heater Length and Positions on Buoyant
Convection of Micropolar Fluid in an Enclosure
C.Manjula
1*
, V.Sivakumar
2
, S.Sivasankaran
3,4
1
Department of Mathematics, Paavai Engineering College, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India
2
Department of Mathematics, Arignar Anna Government Arts College,
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India
3
Department of Mathematics, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
4
Department of Mathematics, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai, India
INTRODUCTION
Convection is a natural mode of heat transport
in which fluid motion occurs without the
influence of external forces. Instead, the
movement is driven by buoyancy forces arising
from temperature gradients that cause
variations in fluid density. The use of natural
convection in engineering necessitates the
solution of many heat transfer mechanism, some
of which depend on the enclosure's design and
others on the local temperatures. Micropolar
fluids (MPF) have also attracted a lot of scientific
attention such as flow of fluids having
suspensions of low concentration, polymeric
fluids, colloidal fluids, blood of animal’s liquid
crystals, turbulent type shear flow, and
lubrication and soon. Eringen [1,2] first
proposed the theory on micro-polar fluids. He
presented the simplest theory for structured
fluids. Mansour et al., [3] investigated mixed-
mode convection in a cavity with adjacent
moving walls and distinct heat sources, filled
with micropolar nanofluids. Their study found
that the mean Nusselt number increases as the
solid volume fraction of nanoparticles is
enhanced. Lukaszewicz's book [4] provides an
extensive review of the theory of micropolar
fluids and their diverse applications.
Natural convection is a primary heat transfer
mechanism in numerous engineering
applications and natural processes. Beyond its
practical significance, natural convection
continues to captivate researchers due to the
intricate coupling between fluid flow and energy
transport. Numerous researches published in
the last few decades, worth of literature on this
subject have confirmed this phenomenon. The
majority of researchers involving natural mode
of convection in cavities have been on
temperature differences that occur in vertical
direction or horizontal direction. Nevertheless,
variations from the fundamental circumstances
are frequently seen. Experiments on natural
mode convection under conditions of local area
heating were reviewed by Aydin and Yang [5].
The authors used numerical analysis to examine
buoyancy convection in a square cavity. Hsu and
Chen [6] quantitatively explored a micropolar
fluid’s Rayleigh-Benard type convection
occurring in an enclosure. The effects of the
ABSTRACT: This study analyzes the convection heat transfer to a micropolar fluid in an enclosure
with varied heating lengths and locations. The left wall is heated to higher temperatures, either fully or
partially, while the right wall remains cooler. The heater is placed at three different positions along the
left wall, and insulation is applied to the non-active areas. Using the finite volume method, the research
investigates the effects of heater length, position, and material parameters, such as the Prandtl number
and Rayleigh number. Results shown in graphs of Nusselt numbers, isotherms, and streamlines
indicate that the mean Nusselt number decreases with increasing material parameters. Additionally, a
shorter heating section enhances average heat transfer, particularly when the heater is located at the
wall's lower part.
KEYWORDS: Heater length; Heater position; Natural convection; Micropolar Fluid.
https://doi.org/10.29294/IJASE.11.4.2025.4666-4678 ©2025 Mahendrapublications.com, All rights reserved
*Corresponding Author: manjunekenkl@gmail.com
Received: 10.04.2025 Accepted: 28.05.2025 Published on: 23.06.2025