Physical Science: New Insights and Developments Vol. 4

The investigation on natural convective heat transfer of two-dimensional density-invariant and unsteady laminar fluid flow along curved surfaces is significant in order to enhance the effectiveness in various engineering systems. Curved surfaces are often encountered in various engineering systems, such as in heat exchangers, electronic cooling systems, and energy systems, where the curvature of the surfaces plays a significant role in affecting the heat transfer characteristics. This research investigation offers insights into the behavior of fluid flow and temperature distribution along curved surfaces in laminar flow conditions. In this study, the continuity, the momentum and thermal energy equations are non-dimensionalized, discretized and the solutions of the dimensionless governing equations approximated using finite-difference method. The model equations are applied to generate numerical simulations in order to explore the effect of curvature, surface roughness, and flow parameters such as temperature gradient and thermal conductivity on resistance to motion as well as the rate of material degradation due to frictional wear and tear. The aim is to investigate how curvature influences the flow separation, heat transfer enhancement or reduction and boundary layer developments. For easier and comprehensive interpretation of results, the findings are precisely presented graphically. It is noted that the flow regime as well as thermal exchange behavior are greatly influenced by the geometry of the surface. The curved surface introduces convolutions in both flow developments and heat transfer phenomena. The study conclusively established that the dissipation of heat within the boundary layer increases with increase in the length of the curvature. The findings of this research will significantly contribute to the optimization of thermal management strategies in systems with curved surfaces. This will assist Engineers in making appropriate designs and estimate improvements in equipment that require less resistance to the motion especially in engineering fields such as aerospace, hydrospace, automotive and industrial heat exchange processes.