Use of an Air Curtain to Reduce Heat Loss from an Inclined Open-Ended Cavity

The use of an air curtain directed across the aperture of an inclined open-ended cavity is examined as a method to reduce convective losses from a heated cavity. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted in two-dimensions for a range of air curtain velocities and axial cavity orientations. The greatest relative reduction in convective losses with an air curtain resulted when the cavity aperture plane was vertical (i.e. horizontal cavity axis). For cavities whose axis was inclined to the horizontal, convective losses could still be lowered with an air curtain, but reduced jet velocities were required for optimum performance.