Natural convection and entropy generation in a vertically concentric annular space

Natural convection in a vertically concentric annular space is of fundamental interest and practical importance. However, available open literature on entropy generation analysis for it is still sparse. In the present work we investigate systematically the effects of Rayleigh number, curvature of annulus and Prandtl number on flow pattern, temperature distribution and entropy generation for natural convection inside a vertically concentric annuli with the aid of the lattice Boltzmann method. The analyzed range is wide, varying from steady laminar convection to unsteady transitional state. Furthermore, we analysze the non-linear branch of irreversible phenomena from a thermodynamics view point.