L-SHAPED ENCLOSURES TO IMPROVE HEAT TRANSFER WITH INTEGRATED NATURAL CONVECTION-FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION: INCORPORATING A FLEXIBLE FIN AND AN ELASTIC WALL

A numerical study was conducted to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics inside an L-shaped enclosure with a flexible fin and elastic wall, using the finite element method. A fluid-structure interaction model was applied to capture the interaction between the fluid and the solid structure. Due to the periodically pulsating temperature on the warm walls, a pulsating flow was induced by the thermal boundary condition, and natural convection contributed to the oscillation of the flexible fin. The results show that the fluid flow within the enclosure is significantly affected by the periodic oscillations of both the flexible fin and the elastic wall.