Understanding of the natural convection flow in hydrothermal autoclaves is essential for the control of the growth rate and the quality of the grown crystals. This paper presents an analysis of the natural convection fluid flow and heat transfer and show the comparison between simulation and experimental results for the experimental model in a small size autoclaves, fill with water. A numerical model based on finite volume method has been developed to simulate the heat transfer and fluid convection in the vessel. Results show that the flow will strongly affect the temperature distribution. It can be observed that in the upper region the liquid flows up in the middle of the vessel and flows down in lateral parts near the walls. The temperature difference between experimental and simulation results is less than 1 °C in the upper part and between 2 and 3 °C in the bottom part. Velocity measurements show a good qualitative agreement between simulation and experimental results. The value of the z-component of velocity along the symmetry axis slightly increase with the increases of temperature difference ΔT .
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