Considering the increased interest of stakeholders in climate change and a low-carbon economy, this article has investigated and identified several contributions of the ISO 50001 in support of the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM). In this context, energy efficiency and reduced CO 2 emissions are critical. Therefore, the proposal for and the requirements of ISO 50001 can generate useful insights on how to structure green and low-carbon supply chains, hence helping to address the challenges posed by climate change.

Purpose This paper aims to study, experimentally validate and select the main physical and numerical parameters of influence in computational numerical simulations to evaluate mean heat flux by natural convection on square flat plates. Design/methodology/approach Several numerical models were built to study the influence of physical and numerical parameters about the predictions of the natural convection heat transfer rates on the surface of a flat plate with aspect ratio = 1, in isothermal conditions, turbulent regime and using the free and open-source software OpenFOAM®. The studied parameters were: boundary conditions (using or not using wall functions in properties ε, κ, νt and ω), degree of mesh refinement, refinement layers and turbulence models [κ – ε and κ – ω Shear Stress Transport (SST)]. From the comparison of the values of the mean Nusselt number, obtained from numerical simulations and literature experimental results, the authors evaluated the precision of the studied parameters, validating and selecting the most appropriate to the analyzed problem situation. Findings The validation and agreement of the numerical results could be proven with excellent precision from experimental references of the technical scientific literature. More refined meshes with refinement layers were not suitable for the studies developed. The κ – ε and κ – ω SST turbulence models, in meshes without refinement layers, proved to be equivalent. Whether or not to use wall functions in turbulent boundary conditions proved to be irrelevant as to the accuracy of results for the problem situation studied. Practical implications Use of the physical and numerical parameters is studied and validated for various applications in natural convection heat transfer of technology and industry areas. Social implications Use of free and open-source software as a research tool in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) area, especially in conditions without large financial resources or state-of-the-art infrastructure. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is yet not available in existing literature.

The transfer of heat and mass by natural convection is present in the most diverse physical and chemical phenomena of nature and engineering equipment. In the last decades, the number of research on natural convection has grown dramatically, highlighting studies in physical-mathematical modeling and numerical solutions, experimental analysis and design and optimization techniques for fluid-thermal systems. This case study analyzed the influence of several numerical parameters in physical-mathematical modeling and numerical solution of natural convection heat transfer problems on isothermal plates with square waves in turbulent conditions of high Rayleigh number. The numerical parameters analyzed were the mesh refinement degree, wall boundary conditions (with or without wall functions implemented in the turbulent parameters) and computational physical domain influence. Free and open-source computational numerical tools were exclusively used in the construction of this work. Meshes with wall functions implemented in turbulent parameters presented greater accuracy and required less computational effort and simulation time, besides enabling the use of a lower degree of mesh refinement. The best numerical configuration of the physical model for the situation problem studied were defined from the criteria of accuracy, computational effort demanded, and stability and numerical convergence of the solution.

Natural convection is present in the most different Thermal Engineering systems, such as solar collectors, electric furnaces, electronic equipment cooling, lubrication, thermal comfort projects in buildings, etc. In the last decade, the number of research on natural convection heat transfer has increased considerably, especially in the areas of physical-numerical modeling and validation, experimental construction and efficiency optimization of thermal systems, and related technologies. This work presents an experimental methodology for studying natural convection on flat and corrugated plates. The design and construction stages of the experimental apparatus, data processing and analysis, physical-mathematical modeling and uncertainty analysis were extensively explored. The applications and extensions of the proposed methodology were discussed in the numerical-experimental validation of physical-numerical modeling methodologies, design and optimization of the experimental apparatus and also of measuring instruments and, finally, in sensitivity analysis studies to reduce the propagation of uncertainties. The limitations of the proposed methodology were discussed, pointing out suggestions for future work.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to numerically and experimentally investigate the natural convection heat transfer in flat plates and plates with square, trapezoidal and triangular corrugations. Design/methodology/approach This work is an extension of the previous studies by Verderio et al. (2021a, 2021b, 2021c, 2021d, 2022a). An experimental apparatus was built to measure the plates’ temperatures during the natural convection cooling process. Several physical parameters were evaluated through the experimental methodology. Free and open-source computational tools were used to simulate the experimental conditions and to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the thermal plume characteristics over the plates. Findings The numerical results were experimentally validated with reasonable accuracy in the range of studied RaLP for the different plates. Empirical correlations of Nu¯LPexp=f(RaLP), h¯conv=f(RaLP) and Nu¯LPexp⋅(A/AP)=f(RaLP), with good accuracy and statistical representativeness, were obtained for the studied geometries. The convective thermal efficiency of corrugated plates (Δη), as a function of RaLP, was also experimentally studied quantitatively. In agreement with the findings of Oosthuizen and Garrett (2001), the experimental and numerical results proved that the increase in the heat exchange area of the corrugations has a greater influence on the convective exchange and the thermal efficiency than the disturbances caused in the flow (which reduce h¯conv). The plate with trapezoidal corrugations presented the highest convective thermal efficiency, followed by the plates with square and triangular corrugations. It was also proved that the thermal efficiency of corrugated plates increases with RaLP. Practical implications The results demonstrate that corrugated surfaces have greater thermal efficiency than flat plates in heating and/or cooling systems by natural convection. This way, corrugated plates can reduce the dependence on auxiliary forced convection systems, with application in technological areas and Industry 4.0. Originality/value The empirical correlations obtained for the corrected Nusselt number and thermal efficiency for the corrugated plate geometries studied are original and unpublished, as well as the experimental validation of the developed three-dimensional numerical code.