Abstract
Fluid flow and heat transfer of opposing mixed convective flows induced around upward-facing, inclined heated plates were investigated experimentally. The experiments were carried out for air and with the test plates of inclination angles 15 to 60°. The flow fields over inclined plates were visualized with smoke and the local heat transfer coefficients of the plate were measured with thermocouples. The visual results showed that a separation of the boundary layer flow occurs first at the trailing edge of the plate, and then, the point of separation shifts toward the leading edge with increasing the buoyancy. It is also found that the above flow separation affects seriously on the local heat transfer coefficients of the plate. Moreover, the separation points and also overall heat transfer coefficients of the plate can be predicted by the non-dimensional parameter (Gr_Lsinθ/Re_L^<2.5>).
