Natural convection heat transfer in the annular region between two concentric cylinders with radial fins is studied numerically. The basic conservation equations are discretized using the finite volume approach together with the SIMPLER algorithm. Computations are performed for laminar flow with Rayleigh numbers up to 106. The velocity and temperature fields are presented for various Rayleigh numbers and fin heights by streamline and isothermal plots. The local and mean Nusselt number predictions show that the fin height has an optimum value for which the heat transfer rate is increased. Long fins have a blocking effect on flow recirculation.
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