Characteristics of vortex flow in a low speed air jet impinging onto a heated disk in a vertical cylindrical chamber

An experiment combining flow visualization and transient temperature measurement is carried out to investigate the characteristics of the mixed convective vortex flow resulting from a low speed air jet impinging onto a heated horizontal circular disk confined in a vertical adiabatic cylindrical chamber. Attention is focused on the conditions leading to the onset of the inertia and buoyancy driven vortex rolls and the effects of governing nondimensional groups on the steady and time dependent vortex flow. More specifically, experiments are conducted for the jet Reynolds number varied from 0 to 1082 and Rayleigh number from 0 to 18,790 for two different injection pipes. The results show that typically the steady vortex flow in the processing chamber consists of two inertia-driven and one buoyancy-driven circular vortex rolls. The secondary inertia-driven roll only appears at high jet Reynolds numbers. At low buoyancy-to-inertia ratio Gr/Re_j² the vortex rolls are steady and axisymmetric. But at certain high Gr/Re_j² the vortex flow becomes unstable and the vortex rolls are somewhat deformed. Besides, new vortex rolls can be induced by the additional thermal rising from the heated disk and the splitting of the primary inertia-driven roll. The temporal characteristics of the time periodic vortex flows are examined in detail. In the region dominated by the new rolls the flow oscillates significantly. Finally, empirical equations are proposed to correlate the oscillation frequency of the time periodic flow, and the size and location of the vortex rolls. Furthermore, the conditions for the onset of the buoyancy driven rolls are given. A flow regime map is provided to delineate the temporal state of the vortex flow.     

Stationary transverse rolls and U-rolls in limiting low Reynolds number mixed convective air flow near the convective threshold in a horizontal flat duct

Combined experimental flow visualization and temperature measurement are carried out in the present study to explore the buoyancy driven vortex flow patterns in a limiting low Reynolds number mixed convective air flow through a bottom heated horizontal flat duct. In Particular, attention is paid to the flow approaching the natural convection limit (Re=0) for Re=1.0 and 2.0 with the Rayleigh number near the critical level for the onset of convection for 1200?Ra?4000. Results from the flow visualization have revealed two unfamiliar vortex flow patterns which were not seen in our earlier study [Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 44 (4) (2001) 705]. One is characterized by the stable stationary transverse rolls in the duct entry and stable longitudinal rolls in the downstream. Another is in the form of U-rolls. The relations of these two patterns with those reported in the literature from analytical, numerical and experimental studies are discussed. Moreover, stable longitudinal rolls along with nonperiodic traversing waves, and mixed longitudinal and transverse rolls as well as irregular cells which appear in the higher Reynolds number for 3.0?Re?5.0 are also noted here. The temporal and spatial characteristics of the unfamiliar vortex flows are inspected in detail. In addition, the flow formation processes leading to the two unfamiliar vortex flow structures are also examined carefully. During the flow formation we noted merging of longitudinal and transverse rolls to form U-rolls, splitting of rolls into cells and the reverse process of cell integration into rolls, aside from the generation of the longitudinal and transverse rolls. Finally, a flow regime map is provided to delineate various vortex flow structures observed in this study and in the previous study (cf. the above-mentioned reference) driven by the slightly supercritical and subcritical buoyancies for 1.0?Re?5.0.     

Buoyancy driven vortex flow and its stability in mixed convection of air through a blocked horizontal flat duct heated from below

Experimental flow visualization combined with transient temperature measurement are carried out here to explore the possible stabilization of the buoyancy drive vortex flow in mixed convection of air in a bottom heated horizontal flat duct by placing a rectangular solid block on the duct bottom. Two acrylic blocks having dimensions 40 × 20 × 5 mm³ (block A) and 40 × 20 × 10 mm³ (block B) are tested. The blocks are placed on the longitudinal centerline of the duct bottom at selected locations. How the location and orientation of the rectangular block affect the stability of the regular vortex flow is investigated in detail. Experiments are conducted for the Reynolds number varying from 3 to 30 and Rayleigh number from 3000 to 6000, covering a wide range of the buoyancy-to-inertia ratio. For longitudinal vortex flow, the presence of either block near the duct entry causes the onset points of the longitudinal rolls to move significantly upstream especially for the roll pair directly behind the block. Besides, the longitudinal vortex flow in the exit portion of the duct is destabilized by the block. The transverse vortex flow is found to be only slightly affected by the block when it is placed in the exit half of the duct. Significant deformation of the transverse rolls is noted as they pass over the block. However, they restore to their regular shape in a short distance. Substantial decay in the transient flow oscillation results in the region right behind the block. Elsewhere the flow oscillates at nearly the same frequency and amplitude as that in the unblocked duct. When the block is placed near the duct entry, stabilization of the vortex flow behind the block is more pronounced. This flow stabilization is more prominent for block B with its height being twice of block A. Placing the block with its long sides normal to the forced flow direction can also enhance the flow stabilization. For the mixed longitudinal and transverse vortex flow, placing the block near the duct inlet causes the transverse rolls to change to regular or deformed longitudinal rolls in the duct depending on the buoyancy-to-inertia ratio and orientation of the block. The flow stabilization by the block is substantial. Again the stabilization of the mixed vortex flow can be enhanced by increasing the block height and length and by placing the block with its long sides normal to the forced flow direction.     

Flow patterns and heat transfer enhancement in low-Reynolds–Rayleigh-number channel flow

This paper presents an experimental study on buoyancy-induced flow patterns and heat transfer characteristics of airflow through a horizontal rectangular channel. The channel had an aspect ratio of six, and its bottom and sidewalls were heated, whereas the top of the channel was cooled. The experiments were conducted at the Reynolds numbers 40 and Rayleigh numbers ranging from 100 to 4200. The Nusselt number and the temperature distributions on the top surface of the channel were measured simultaneously at different thermal/flow conditions, and the heat transfer characteristics of the channel was evaluated, together with the flow patterns in the channel. The results showed that due to the heated sidewalls, which was an `imperfect' factor comparing with the classic Rayleigh–Bénard channel, the longitudinal vortex rolls can occur at the Rayleigh number Ra=100, starting with number of rolls N=2 and then N=4 as the Ra increases, rather than the N=6 mode for the same channel with `perfect' sidewalls. In the present study, the six-roll mode occurred at Ra=1730 and above, but an initial trigger was required. Otherwise the four-roll mode would continue to be the dominant flow pattern at high Rayleigh numbers. It was demonstrated that significant heat transfer enhancement could be achieved in low Reynolds and Rayleigh number flow if the longitudinal vortex rolls were excited in the channel.     

Visualization of mixed convective vortex rolls in an impinging jet flow of air through a cylindrical chamber

In this study a combined buoyancy and inertia driven vortex flow in an air jet impinging onto a heated circular plate confined in a cylindrical chamber simulating that in a vertical single-wafer rapid thermal processor for semiconductor manufacturing is investigated experimentally by flow visualization. A copper plate is used here to simulate the wafer for its better uniformity of the surface temperature and air is used to replace the inert gases. We concentrate on how the inlet gas flow rate, temperature difference between the wafer and air jet, and chamber pressure affect the vortex flow. The results show that typically the flow in the chamber is in the form of two-roll structure characterized by a circular vortex roll around the air jet along with another circular roll near the side wall of the chamber. Both rolls are somewhat deformed. The rolls are generated by the reflection of the jet from the wafer and by the deflection of the wall boundary layer flow along the wafer surface by the upward buoyancy due to the heated wafer. At low buoyancy and inertia the vortex rolls are steady and axisymmetric. At increasing buoyancy associated with the higher temperature difference and chamber pressure, the inner roll becomes slightly smaller and the outer roll becomes correspondingly bigger. Moreover, at a higher gas flow rate the inner roll is substantially bigger. Based on the present data, a correlation equation is provided to predict the location where the two rolls contact each other, providing the approximate size of the rolls. Moreover, at high buoyancy and inertia the flow becomes time dependent and does not evolve to a steady state.     

EFFECTS OF ASPECT RATIO ON VORTEX FLOW PATTERNS IN MIXED CONVECTION OF AIR THROUGH A BOTTOM-HEATED HORIZONTAL RECTANGULAR DUCT

Abstract

Buoyancy-induced vortex flow structures and the associated heat transfer were numerically investigated in a mixed convective airflow in a bottom-heated horizontal rectangular duct of different aspect ratios. The unsteady three-dimensional Navier-Stokes and energy equations were directly solved by a higher order upwind finite difference scheme. Results were presented in particular for Reynolds numbers ranging from 5 to 15, Rayleigh numbers up to 9000, and aspect ratios from 4 to 12. The predicted results clearly show significant differences in vortex structures induced in ducts with small and large aspect ratios. For an aspect ratio less than 6 the transverse vortex rolls are periodically generated in the duct entry and gradually transform into longitudinal rolls when moving downstream. The resulting vortex flow eventually evolves to a time periodic state with the upstream and downstream portions of the duct dominated by the transverse rolls and longitudinal rolls, respectively. For a large aspect ratio (A > 9) the transverse rolls prevail in the duct core, with two to three longitudinal rolls existing near each sidewall. The flow oscillation in the region dominated by the transverse rolls is much higher than that dominated by the longitudinal rolls. At high Ra the flow becomes chaotic in time, and the duct is filled with unstable irregular vortex rolls.     

The onset of convective instability in the thermal entrance region of plane Poiseuille flow heated uniformly from below

The onset condition of regular longitudinal vortex rolls in the thermal entrance region of plane Poiseuille flow heated from below is analyzed. Under propagation theory the stability equations are produced self-similarly, based on scale analysis. The onset position of secondary flow, which represents the starting point of mixed convection, is predicted as a function of the Prandtl number, Reynolds number and Rayleigh number. As expected, the critical position moves upstream as the Rayleigh number increases and an increase in Reynolds number makes the system more stable. The present predictions compare favorably with existing experimental data of water and air.     

Unstable vortex flow and new inertia-driven vortex rolls resulting from an air jet impinging onto a confined heated horizontal disk

An experiment combining flow visualization and temperature measurement is carried out here to investigate the possible presence of new inertia-driven vortex rolls and some unique characteristics of the time-dependent mixed convective vortex flow in a high-speed round air jet impinging onto a heated horizontal circular disk confined in a vertical cylindrical chamber. How the jet Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers and jet-to-disk separation distance affect the unique vortex flow characteristics is examined in detail. Specifically, the experiment is conducted for the jet Reynolds number varying from 0 to 1623 and Rayleigh number from 0 to 63,420 for the jet-to-disk separation distance fixed at 10.0, 20.0 and 30.0 mm. The results indicate that at sufficiently high Re_j the inertia-driven tertiary and quaternary rolls can be induced aside from the primary and secondary rolls. At an even higher Re_j the vortex flow becomes unstable due to the inertia-driven flow instability. Only for H = 20.0 mm the flow is also subjected to the buoyancy-driven instability for the ranges of the parameters covered here. Because of the simultaneous presence of the inertia- and buoyancy-driven flow instabilities, a reverse flow transition can take place in the chamber with H = 20.0 mm. At the large H of 30.0 mm the flow unsteadiness results from the mutual pushing and squeezing of the inertia- and buoyancy-driven rolls since they are relatively large and contact with each other. It is also noted that the critical Re_j for the onset of unsteady flow increases with ΔT for H = 10.0 and 20.0 mm. But for H = 30.0 mm the opposite is true and raising ΔT can destabilize the vortex flow. Based on the present data, flow regime maps delineating the temporal state of the flow are provided and correlating equations for the boundaries separating various flow regimes are proposed.     

Thermoconvective instabilities in an inclined porous channel heated from below

The thermoconvective instability in an inclined rectangular channel filled with a fluid saturated porous medium and heated from below with a uniform flux is investigated. A stationary parallel buoyant flow with a linear temperature change in the transverse direction is considered. The linear stability to transverse and longitudinal roll disturbances of this basic state is examined. The thermoconvective instability onset of transverse rolls occurs when the Darcy–Rayleigh number exceeds a critical value, that increases with the inclination angle. The critical Darcy–Rayleigh number is discontinuous at the inclination angle 23.4749° above the horizontal. It is shown that, when the inclination angle exceeds 31.3618°, either the transverse rolls are stable or a second discontinuous transition to a higher branch of instability occurs. The longitudinal rolls may be unstable for every inclination except for the vertical. A stability diagram is sketched displaying the geometrical conditions (inclination angle, aspect ratio) such that either the transverse rolls or the longitudinal rolls is the preferred mode of instability.     

Stability of natural convection in an inclined square duct with perfectly conducting side walls

We have performed three-dimensional linear stability analyses for natural convection in an inclined square duct. The duct is heated from the bottom, while the lateral walls are assumed to be perfectly thermal conducting. Three-dimensional transverse rolls whose axes are normal to the axis of the duct occur from the motionless state when the Rayleigh number exceeds a critical value and the duct is placed horizontally (θ = 0°). However, it is found that when the duct is placed inclined (θ = 0.01°), a two-dimensional longitudinal roll which is unchanged in the axis of the duct occurs and is stable if the Rayleigh number is small.     

轴向通流旋转盘腔内类Rayleigh-Benard对流稳定性研究

利用数值模拟的方法对冷气轴向通流旋转盘腔的流动过程进行了研究。研究发现。对应一进口冷气的冒诺教，存在一临界瑞利敷(Rαc)，高于该瑞利教(Rα)。流动出现不稳定现象。且Rα越大，不稳定行为越严重。对于特例，盘腔内的流动可以看成是由类Rayleigh—Benard对流和强迫对流两个区域构成，两个区域通过能量和质量交换相互影响。流动随着Rα的增加从稳态发展为非稳态；采用频谱图分析的方法对数值解的不稳定性进行定性分析。结果显示随着Rα的增大。教值解经历了从稳定解到分贫的周期性不稳定和准周期不稳定的发展过程，离心浮升力引起的类Rayleigh—Benard对流是造成流动从稳定到不稳定发展的重要原因，哥氏力的存在恶化了不稳定过程。     

Numerical 3-D Study of Poiseuille Rayleigh Benard Soret Problem in a Finite Extent Paralellipipedic Duct

This article deals with mixed convection of a binary mixture within a rectangular duct heated from below and under Soret influence. Going forward, the problem is referred to as the Poiseuille Rayleigh Benard Soret (PRBS) problem. We study the pattern formation of a binary mixture heated from below in the presence of a horizontal flow. When the system exhibits a supercritical bifurcation, either 2-D or 3-D convective structures appear. In a layer of infinite extent the presence of through-flow breaks the rotational symmetry, and the system at the convective threshold has to decide between longitudinal and transverse rolls among several unstable modes; we focus attention on transverse rolls. These rolls are generally unsteady and form traveling waves along the duct, and the presence of through-flow reduces the size of the region of convective instability. We show that the spanwise A_y aspect ratio has a strong influence on the threshold of convection, and in binary mixtures with a negative separation ratio N, and in distinction to the case for positive values of N; traveling waves can move against the direction of the mean flow. In general, nonlinear front propagation dominates the dynamics. The phase velocities and wave numbers of these fronts are determined. For the case of very long cells, we install continuity conditions in order to simulate an infinite duct. Changes in the outlet boundary conditions, in order to save the physics, influence the stability and wavelengths in the upstream.     

A further investigation of effects of jet-disk separation distance on steady mixed convective vortex flow resulting from a confined impinging air jet

We extend our previous study [J.C. Hsieh, T.F. Lin, Effects of jet-to-disk separation distance on the characteristics of mixed convective vortex flow in an impinging air jet confined in a cylindrical chamber, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 48 (2005) 511–525] here to further investigate how the jet-disk separation distance H affects the mixed convective vortex flow resulting from a round air jet impinging onto a heated horizontal circular disk confined in a vertical cylindrical chamber. The experiment is conducted for the jet-disk separation distance varying from 40.0 to 60.0 mm and the jet flow rate is varied from 0 to 12.0 slpm (standard liter per minute) for the jet Reynolds number Re_j ranging from 0 to 1623. The temperature difference between the disk and the air injected into the chamber is varied from 0 to 25.0 °C for the Rayleigh number Ra ranging from 0 to 507,348. The data from the present study for the ratio H/D_j = 4–6 are compared with our previous study for H/D_j = 1–3. The results indicate that the critical jet Reynolds numbers for the onsets of the secondary and tertiary inertia-driven rolls and for the onset of the buoyancy-driven roll vary nonmonotonically with the jet-disk separation distance due to the complicate changes of the vortex flow structure with H. In the steady vortex flow, both the primary inertia-driven roll and the buoyancy-driven roll get larger at increasing jet-disk separation distance before they contact with each other for H/D_j = 1 and 2. But for H/D_j ≧ 3 the primary roll and buoyancy roll do not always grow at increasing H. Finally, empirical correlations are proposed for the critical conditions leading to the onsets of the inertia- and buoyancy-driven vortex rolls.     

Thermal instabilities in a horizontal cylindrical duct: a physical approach

Flow of water in a uniformly heated horizontal cylindrical duct induces a mixed convection phenomenon. For adapted coupling of the Reynolds and Rayleigh number values, an instability is reached for which fluctuations of great amplitude in the wall temperature occur sporadically. The aim of this paper is to analyze this thermal instability and to propose a physical mechanism which governs this kind of instability. Indeed, we show that this instability is the result of an exchange of the heat transfer mode from convective to diffusive in the thermal boundary layer, in the bottom of the cross section.     

Numerical simulation of natural convection heat transfer in the open space between two horizontal circular planes

Numerical simulations were conducted for natural convection heat transfer in a narrow gap between two horizontal plates in air. The lower plate is an infinite plate with a circular heating zone. The upper one is the bottom of a vertical cylinder, which is placed right above the circular heated plate and kept at room temperature. A set of Navier–Stokes equations and an energy equation are analyzed for a variety of combinations of gap clearance and Rayleigh number. The calculated average heat transfer values are shown to be in good agreement with the experimentally obtained ones reported in a previous paper. From the obtained isotherms, streamlines, and local Nusselt numbers, it is found that two types of convection appear in the gap space according to the conditions of Rayleigh number and gap clearance: one is a simple convection due to a single renewal flow which replaces heated air with ambient air and the other is a combined convection due to several vortex flows and a renewal flow. Furthermore, the flow rate of each flow controls the rate of heat transfer from the limited area which is covered by each flow. From this fact, the validity of the previously proposed heat transfer correlation is briefly discussed. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 30(6): 485–502, 2001     

Wave Instability of Mixed Convection Flow Along a Vertical Flat Plate

Abstract

An analysis is performed to investigate the linear wave instability of laminar mixed convection flow over an isothermal vertical flat plate, in which the buoyancy force arises solely from the temperature gradients in the fluid. In the stability analysis, the main flow and thermal fields are treated as nonparallel, and are obtained by the local nonsimilarity solution method The eigenvalue problem consisting of the linearized system of coupled differential equations for the velocity and temperature disturbances are solved by a direct Runge-Kutta numerical integration scheme along with a filtering technique to remove the “parasitic errors” inherent in the numerical integration of the disturbance equations. Neutral stability curves and critical Reynolds numbers are presented for a range of buoyancy parameters covering both assisting and opposing flow situations for two representative Prandtl numbers of 0.7 and 7. It is found that the flow becomes more stable as the buoyancy force increases for assisting flow and less stable as the buoyancy force increases for opposing flow. The curve of Grashof number versus Reynolds number that separates the unstable flow region from the stable one is also presented.     

Effect of Prandtl number and rotation on vortex shedding behind a circular cylinder subjected to cross buoyancy at subcritical Reynolds number

We perform a two-dimensional numerical simulation following a finite volume approach to understand the vortex shedding (VS) phenomena around a circular cylinder subjected to cross thermal buoyancy at a subcritical Reynolds number, Re = 40. The flow is considered in an unbounded medium. The cylinder may either be stationary or rotating about its centroidal axis. At the subcritical Reynolds number, the flow and thermal fields are steady without the superimposed thermal buoyancy (i.e. for pure forced flow). However, as the buoyancy parameter (Richardson number, Ri) increases, flow becomes unstable, and eventually, at some critical value of Ri, periodic VS is observed to characterize the flow and thermal fields. An extended Stuart–Landau model is used in this work for the accurate quantitative estimation of the critical Richardson number for the onset of VS. The above phenomena of VS with imposed buoyancy is strongly dependent on the type of the fluid being used. We quantify here the minimum heating requirement for the initiation of VS by choosing three different types of fluids having Prandtl numbers, Pr = 0.71, 7, and 100. The dimensionless rotational speed (Ω) ranges between 0 and 4. It is revealed that as Pr increases, heating requirement also increases for the initiation of VS. A possible explanation for the observation is provided.     

Double dispersion,natural convection in an open end cavity simulation via Lattice Boltzmann Method

Double dispersion in an open end cavities are simulated using Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). The flow is driven by the buoyancy effect due to the heated vertical wall and species concentration at the heated wall of the cavity (closed end). The paper is intended to address the physics of flow, heat and mass transfers in open ended cavities and close end slots. Prandtl number (Pr) is fixed to 0.71 (air) for the thermal Rayleigh number (Ra_T) of 10⁴, 10⁵ and 10⁶. The results are presented for moderate Lewis number of 2, 4 and 8 and for a range of buoyancy ratio, N, (species to thermal). The species concentration induced buoyancy force either aids or opposes the thermally driven flow, which is determined by the value of buoyancy ratio (positive or negative, respectively). Interesting flow patterns were predicted for opposing buoyancy forces.     

Jet impingement cooling of a horizontal surface in a confined porous medium: Mixed convection regime

In the present article the jet impingement cooling of heated portion of a horizontal surface immersed in a fluid saturated porous media is considered for investigation numerically. The jet direction is considered to be perpendicular from the top to the horizontal heated element; therefore, the external flow and the buoyancy driven flow are in opposite directions. The governing parameters in the present problem are Rayleigh number, Péclet number, jet width and the distance between the jet and the heated portion normalized to the length of the heated element. The results are presented in the mixed convection regime with wide ranges of the governing parameters with the limitation of the Darcy model. It is found for high values of Péclet number that increasing either Rayleigh number or jet width lead to increase the average Nusselt number. Narrowing the distance between the jet and the heated portion could increase the average Nusselt number as well.No steady-state solution can be found in some cases; when the external jet flow and the flow due to buoyancy are in conflict for domination. The results from the unsteady governing equations in these cases show oscillation of the average Nusselt number along the heated element with the time without reaching steady state.     

An unsteady flow structure on a heated rotating disk under mixed convection

A flow field under mixed convection on a heated rotating disk has been measured using an ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP). The measured velocity field is a spatio‐temporal one as a function of radial coordinates and time. The objective of this paper is to clarify the vortex structure caused by the instability between buoyancy and centrifugal force. The vortex appears under typical conditions of Reynolds numbers and Grashof numbers and it moves toward the outside of the disk. This behavior can be classified into two patterns. The size of the vortex structure decreases with an increasing Reynolds number and increases with the Grashof number. The traveling velocity of the vortex increases with the Grashof number. Moreover, it decreases with an increasing Reynolds number in spite of increasing centrifugal force. According to these results, the region dominated by natural, forced, and mixed convection is classified in the relationship between Reynolds and Grashof numbers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(6): 407–418, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20074