Abstract
The current research presents a numerical investigation of the mixed convection inside a horizontal rectangular duct combined with an open trapezoidal cavity. The region in the bottom wall of the cavity is heated by using two discrete heat sources. The cold airflow enters the duct horizontally at a fixed velocity and a constant temperature. All the other walls of the duct and the cavity are adiabatic. Throughout this study, four various cases were investigated depending on the driven walls. The effects of the Richardson number and Reynolds number ratio are studied under various cases related to the lid-driven sidewalls. The results are presented in terms of the flow and thermal fields and the average Nusselt number. The yielded data show that the average Nusselt number rises as the Richardson number and Reynolds number ratio increases. Furthermore, the Reynolds number ratio and the movement of the cavity sidewall(s) have a significant effect on the velocity and temperature contours. By the end of the study, it is shown that the maximum rates of heat transfer are related to Case 1 where the left sidewall moves downward and heater 2, which is placed near the left sidewall.