Natural convection in a one-sided heated vertical channel

An experimental analysis of natural convection heat transfer in an open-ended vertical channel has been performed, with either water or air in the channel and in the ambient which surrounds the channel. Heating conditions were such that, one of the principal walls-the heated wall-was maintained at a constant uniform temperature (elevated with respect to ambient), while the other wall of the channel was unheated. Temperature distribution and governing heat transfer mechanisms in and out of the channel were observed by holographic interferometry and dimensionless heat transfer correlations were obtained.