COMPLEX HEAT TRANSFER PROCESSES IN HEAT-GENERATING HORIZONTAL FLUID LAYERS.

The behavior of heat-generating horizontal fluid layers has been an important concern in geophysics, astrophysics, chemical engineering, combustion theory, nuclear technology, and nuclear reactor safety analysis. Previous studies of this class of problems, however, have focused only on certain particular heat transfer aspects of the layers. As a result, they do not appear to be closely connected nor do they provide a complete description of the overall physical picture. In this paper, the various heat transfer processes in horizontal fluid layers with different heat-generation properties are reviewed and presented systematically. These include laminar convection in the post-stability regime, steady and transient turbulent convection, and combined natural convection and radiation in horizontal fluid layers with volumetric energy sources that can be either uniform and constant, time-dependent, or temperature-dependent. Also included in this review is the case of a horizontal fluid layer heated internally and from below. Particular attention is given to physical modeling that facilitates the solution procedures.