Combined Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Enclosure Systems

Heat transfer in enclosure systems arises from the interplay of conduction through solid boundaries, convection within fluid‐filled cavities and surface radiation. In practice, these mechanisms operate simultaneously, influencing thermal comfort, energy efficiency and system reliability across applications such as building façades, electronic cooling enclosures and solar receivers. Conjugate analyses that couple solid‐domain conduction with fluid‐domain convection and radiation have become indispensable for accurately predicting temperature distributions and heat fluxes. Advances in computational fluid dynamics, lattice Boltzmann methods and experimental diagnostics have refined our understanding of how geometry, material properties, boundary conditions and radiative characteristics govern overall performance. The global imperative to reduce energy consumption and mitigate heat‐related risks has driven research towards optimised cavity designs, innovative glazing solutions and high‐emissivity coatings. Integrative models now inform both code compliance for built environments and design strategies for passive cooling of electronics and transport enclosures, ensuring effective thermal management under diverse operating conditions.

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Combined Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Enclosure Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in combined heat transfer mechanisms in enclosure systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Conduction: Heat transfer through a solid medium by molecular agitation without bulk motion.

Convection: Transfer of heat by fluid motion driven by temperature-induced density differences (natural) or external forces (forced).

Radiation: Transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves emitted by a surface, dependent on its temperature and emissivity.

Conjugate heat transfer: Coupled analysis of heat conduction in solids and convective or radiative transfer in adjacent fluids.

Nusselt number (Nu): Dimensionless ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer at a boundary.

Rayleigh number (Ra): Dimensionless parameter indicating the onset and intensity of natural convection, combining buoyancy, viscosity and thermal diffusivity effects.

References

1. Effect of window-glass type on solar heat gain and velocity and temperature distributions inside air-conditioned rooms – A conjugate numerical analysis. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2023).
2. Numerical Investigation of Conjugate Natural Convection in a Cavity with a Local Heater by the Lattice Boltzmann Method. Fluids (2021).
3. Radiation Effect on Heat Transfer in Narrow Cavities. Energies (2023).