Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to study numerically the simulation of convective–radiative heat transfer under an effect of variable thermally generating source in a rotating square chamber. The performed analysis deals with a development of passive cooling system for the electronic devices. Design/methodology/approach The domain of interest of size H rotating at a fixed angular velocity has heat-conducting solid walls with a constant cooling temperature for the outer boundaries of the vertical walls and with thermal insulation for the outer borders of the horizontal walls. The chamber has a heater on the bottom wall with a time-dependent volumetric heat generation. The internal surfaces of the walls and the energy element are both grey diffusive emitters and reflectors. The fluid is transparent to radiation. Computational model has been written using non-dimensional parameters and worked out by the finite difference technique. The effect of the angular velocity, volumetric heat generation frequency and surface emissivity has been studied and described in detail. Findings The results show that growth of the surface emissivity leads to a diminution of the mean heater temperature, while a weak rotation can improve the energy transport for low volumetric thermal generation frequency. Originality/value An efficient computational approach has been used to work out this problem. The originality of this work is to analyze complex (conductive–convective–radiative) energy transport in a rotating system with a local element of time-dependent volumetric heat generation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, an interaction of major heat transfer mechanisms in a rotating system with a heat-generating element is scrutinized for the first time. The results would benefit scientists and engineers to become familiar with the analysis of complex heat transfer in rotating enclosures with internal heat-generating units, and the way to predict the heat transfer rate in advanced technical systems, in industrial sectors including transportation, power generation, chemical sectors and electronics.