Natural convection analysis of two laterally misaligned vertical plates situated one above the other

Numerical solutions have been obtained for the upper-plate heat transfer response to a lateral offset of the plate from a position of precise alignment with a lower plate. Both plates are vertical and are at the same uniform temperature above ambient. The lateral offset was varied parametrically, as was the vertical separation distance between the plates. Relative to an aligned plate, offsetting tends to reduce the local heat flux in the initial portion of the plate and to enhance the flux at larger downstream distances. The extent of the initial-region heat flux reduction is greater for larger vertical separation distances, while the extent of the downstream-region enhancement Is diminished. For short plates and for large vertical separation distances, the surface-integrated heat transfer for an offset plate Is less than that for an aligned plate. Offsetting can lead to an enhancement of the surface-integrated heat transfer for small separation distances and for intermediate and long plates.