Numerical Solution of the Natural Convection Around a Horizontal Cylinder Subjected to Non-uniform Radiative Heat

Abstract

A two-dimensional steady model of the natural convection around a cylinder is solved numerically using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The cylinder receives non-uniform heat from a radiating panel, which is assumed to be sufficiently far away so that the flow around the panel does not interfere with the cylinder. Changes in temperature and velocity are monitored for varying heating rates and cylinder sizes. A good agreement is found with numerical results in the literature which deal with isothermal and uniform heating scenarios. Variable flow properties and reradiation effects are found to have an appreciable effect on the temperature and flow around the cylinder. Larger cylinders are found to be more likely to support a flame than smaller cylinders when exposed the same heating rate.