Energy flux vectors as a new tool for convection visualization
International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow
ISSN: 0961-5539
Article publication date: 30 March 2010
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to introduce a new technique for convection visualization. This is similar to Bejan's heatlines and is even an exact match to Landau and Lifshitz's energy streamlines for two‐dimensional geometries.
Design/methodology/approach
The work benefits from a combination of numerical and analytical tools to show that, in two‐dimensional space, heatlines and energy streamlines are effectively the same. More importantly, the energy flux vectors are tracing both of them accurately; as verified for some cases of free and forced convection problems in this paper.
Findings
The new technique is easier to implement compared to the existing counterparts which are available in the literature. More specifically, the advantage of this new technique is that, contrary to heatlines and energy streamlines, it does not require further numerical analysis in addition to solving momentum and energy equations.
Originality/value
Energy flux vectors offer higher resolution compared to existing visualization tools.
Keywords
Citation
Hooman, K. (2010), "Energy flux vectors as a new tool for convection visualization", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 240-249. https://doi.org/10.1108/09615531011016984
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited