Numerical Simulation of Magneto-Convection in an Enclosure

Natural-convection flow in the presence of a magnetic field in an enclosure heated from bottom and cooled from top is considered. The fluid (molten sodium) properties are function of temperature. To solve the governing non-linear differential equations (mass, momentum and energy) a finite volume code based on PATANKAR’s SIMPLER method is utilized. The results for different Rayleigh and Hartmann numbers show that the strength of the magnetic field has significant effects on the flow and temperature fields. The convection becomes stronger as the Rayleigh number increases while the magnetic field suppresses the convective flow and the heat transfer rate. When the magnetic field is weak and the Rayleigh number is high, the convection is dominant.